Focusing on an anti-racist school, Newtown High School offered advisory lessons on January 28 following an incident of a racial slur discovered written in a bathroom.

A letter from NHS Principal Dr Kimberly Longobucco was read for the start of the advisory period lessons, which were offered to freshmen through juniors at the school. The letter read, “On Friday, January 15, the N-word was found in a bathroom stall. Following the report we began an investigation. At Newtown High School we will not accept the use of racial slurs, derogatory comments, anti-Semitic language or symbols, bias of any kind, bullying, name calling, or hazing.

“As a school and a community we will work together to make Newtown High School a safe and welcoming place for all students to come and learn,” the letter continued. “Today you will discuss racial slurs, in particular the N-word. It is important that you listen to your classmates, engage in respectful dialogue, and open your mind to the impact that this word has on members of our school and community. I encourage you to challenge yourself this morning, step out of your comfort zone, reflect on your personal journey, and join me in taking an important step towards creating an anti-racist school.”

The investigation into the bathroom racial slur incident continues.

“We are definitely looking into it, and we have cameras everywhere,” Dr Longobucco said.

Speaking shortly after the advisory period lessons, Dr Longobucco shared there were “multiple phases,” including watching a video about respecting what others say, hear, and may or may not feel. Then there were discussion questions, conversations, a history of the “N-word” that explained why it is derogatory and hurtful, and follow-up questions.

The last part of the lesson, Dr Longobucco shared, emphasized that the N-word should never be used. Never.

An online document was shared for students to add their responses to the prompt, “What can we do as a school to move forward and create an anti-racist culture?”

“And the responses were so good,” Dr Longobucco said.

Looking over the responses, she shared that some students suggested not reading the word out loud in class when it is used in literature, others wanted an anti-racism class to be offered, others asked for students to not use slurs of any kind, and another said the community should continue to educate itself collectively.

For the 40-minute advisory periods, there are two teachers with between 12 and 20 students. Dr Longobucco said the school administration is discussing how to hold a similar lesson for seniors soon.

The feedback offered online by students will be used to help determine what the school will do next.

Dr Longobucco said some teachers may have been hesitant to oversee the advisory lessons at first, but the result was students embracing the lesson and a discussion that branched out to the whole school community.

Students were also asked to report, through an existing anonymous alerts app on the district’s website, any incidents of racist behavior. By the afternoon of the lesson, there were already valuable reports, according to Dr Longobucco.

Later she said, “Today we gave students a venue to talk, and until they have that venue they may not have that conversation on their own.”

“All in all, I think it was a really big step for our school,” said Dr Longobucco.

Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue highlighted efforts by a Parent Educator Advisory Council (PEAC) subgroup to focus on diversity and equity in the district. This particular incident and so many other experiences that have occurred in the past are being addressed, and Dr Rodrigue said she knows the group is making headway in outlining important practices that could be put in place, either through resolutions by the Board of Education, in district policies, in hiring procedures, or other ways. She also said a new district position in the 2021-22 proposed budget, the diversity compliance coordinator, will work with staff, students, district leaders, and families to discuss issues and find satisfactory resolutions if incidents occur. The coordinator will also facilitate professional development and training, because, the superintendent added, the district wants staff and students to feel open and comfortable with having discussions around these topics.

“We feel very confident that our high school advisory program and some of the initiated discussions with students... went very well, as reported by Dr Longobucco and from what I have heard from others,” Dr Rodrigue said. “This is really just the beginning of many conversations and activities to occur... so we can build that sense of trust and open dialogue when it comes to diversity and some of the incidences and experiences that students have had in the past.”

Overall, Dr Rodrigue said there are “really exciting things happening in Newtown” to build a more respectful and safer learning environment for students and staff.