AURORA | Parents are demanding more action from Cherry Creek School District leaders as a second racist video made by students has circulated on social media.
“We will not tolerate hate in the Cherry Creek School District,” Superintendent Chris Smith said during a board of education meeting Monday evening. He added that parents, teachers and principals should hold themselves and students accountable for their actions.
At least half-dozen parents spoke about racism in the district and the changes they want to see.
“We are collectively concerned and deeply saddened by recent anti-Black racism,” Samantha Schacher, a district parent, said during public comment about a video involving students from Campus Middle School in Greenwood Village. “We know that this is a systemic issue within the district.”
Schacher said that she, like many other parents, found out about the racist videos through social media and was “shocked and disappointed” that the school district “was not addressing it transparently with the community.”
Click here to see the video on the Facebook page of NAACP of the Rocky Mountains.
Jennifer Ann Miller, who spoke during public comment, also advocated for greater transparency from the district. She said there should be a policy that informs parents of serious incidents while balancing students’ privacy.
“This enables more constructive dialogue and reduces speculation, rumors and a proliferation of fear and anger stemming from lack of information,” Miller said.
UnSuk Zucker, a district parent, thanked Smith for speaking out against the videos but said that they were “just the tip of the iceberg” and that it’s a symptom of systemic racism.
Outcry Monday was in response to a second recent video of middle school students making videos of themselves expressing racist sentiments and posting them on social media.
The most recent video is 35 seconds long and depicts at least two girls repeatedly blurting out variations of the “n-word,” according to the Rocky Mountain NAACP. The two girls are apparently drinking alcoholic beverages,” NAACP officials said, “and are students at Campus Middle School.”
Another video that circulated in November on social media is of a boy saying a racial slur, and saying that Black people should “not be alive right now.” The child, a student at West Middle School, also in Greenwood Village, also said that he hates the color of their skin.
Smith did not state at the board meeting if the students involved in the second video were disciplined. But district spokesperson Lauren Snell confirmed later that the students were disciplined. When responding to the first video, the district said that the student faced “significant discipline,” but they cannot discuss specifics of discipline due to students’ privacy rights.
“This has gone too far. We are calling for the parents of these young people to come meet with Rocky Mountain NAACP. We will not tolerate this behavior and it is time for the parents to come forward to apologize by action and word,” the Rocky Mountain NAACP said in a press statement on Nov. 30. “We are requesting the parents and young people to volunteer with the Rocky Mountain NAACP to progress our fight towards equity.”
Rashad Younger, spokesperson for the Rocky Mountain NAACP said that as of Dec. 12, the organization is still trying to get in contact with the families and wants them to issue a public apology.
Sure hope that the parents and schools deal very aggressively against any racist behaviors or speech. The intervention/discipline needs to be swift, focused, and fair. Everyday CCSD staff deal with a huge number of off-site problematic behaviors such as sexual assault, bullying, drinking, dangerous driving, shoplifting, suicides, drugs, and guns.
Really, two racist videos — as bad as that is — just does not seem like a “systemic” problem in a school district with 53,000 students.
If I had a kid in that school system I would arm them with non-lethal weapons and f*** the school bullshit. I love mine and want them to come home.And the parents of the Racist would be Targeted by me,,,that shit is taught at home by the same racist parents!
Two schools in one of the most privileged parts of the district. Unsurprising. Wonder how much “affluenza” played a role, with kids raised to feel as though they are immune to any consequences or responsibility.
As a point of reference, there were thousands of off-campus incidents last year that included sexual harassment, assault, online bullying, drinking, dangerous driving, shoplifting, suicides, drugs, guns, and more. Statistics on all these behaviors would be helpful to the Sentinel readers, so I implore the editors to research and publish those facts. Only then will we (and NAACP) have a fuller understanding of the enormous complexity of social ills that our children and schools must deal with on a regular basis. And, please, include the statistics for the Aurora Public Schools as well as those from CCSD.