Hate Comes to Maryland

Two news stories relevant to our life in Maryland after the election. I'll take them both from The Post:

Administrators at a Bethesda middle school found numerous images of a swastika drawn on a boys’ bathroom wall Friday, the second such incident at the school in the past two weeks.

In a letter sent home to parents of students at Westland Middle School in Bethesda, principal Alison Serino said the school has contacted the Montgomery County Police Department to investigate the acts of vandalism.

“We are very saddened by this incident,” Serino wrote. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated. Once the culprit(s) are identified, consequences will be administered in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.”

In an interview Friday, Serino said that she was “sad and disturbed” about the incidents and that she and her staff are planning to address the issue with students when they return next week.

“I think we need to double down on our efforts about respect, knowledge of one another, and understanding where people are coming from,” she said. “I think it’s a really important time to be an educator.”

Serino said that the incidents have caused “concern and worry” for the school’s students. She added that while the school year has been mostly typical so far, “there is heightened awareness around race, ethnicity and religion” as a result of the presidential election. Middle school administrators find swastikas in a boys’ bathroom

The timing of this is obvious, especially since these kinds of things have been going on all over the country. Swastikas, effigy-lynchings, pussy-grabbing -- and sorry but we're calling it what the President-elect of the United States calls it -- women have had their hajibs torn off, anti-black messages and people in blackface, Muslims and Hispanics are harassed and threatened randomly on the street.

This is what we chose on November 8th.

Here is what Montgomery County's Superintendent of Schools wrote:

Dear Members of the MCPS Community:

I am writing to share with you how Montgomery County Public Schools is assisting our staff and students in processing the outcome of Tuesday’s presidential election. This election season has been particularly difficult. It caused a great deal of emotion among many members of our community. We want to take this opportunity to reiterate the values that are foundational to this school system.

Now that the election is over, it is our job to restate our core values as a school system—demonstrating that we respect and care for every person in our community. First and foremost, we must reassure our staff and students that our school buildings are safe places where we truly value and respect every single individual and do not tolerate bullying or hate speech. The diversity of our community and the many cultures, languages, and religions that make up our school system continues to be our greatest strength. We are better when we all work together, learn together, and listen to each other.

We must have open and respectful conversations about the lessons of living in a democracy. That is our commitment as educators, and on this day honoring our veterans, we will help students move forward in understanding our democracy and how our nation works and endures. We will teach our students the important principles that are the foundation of our nation and we will do all we can to continue to foster a culture of understanding and respect for everyone.

Our schools are a resource for families as well. Counselors are available to help students process any concerns or feelings they have about the election. Curricular resources have been provided to assist teachers in discussing the election. We will continue to draw on the expertise of the Equity Initiatives Unit to help forge stronger understanding of the many perspectives in our community, state and nation.

Ultimately, we must reinforce at every opportunity that our schools are safe places where students learn and where we all work together to build a community that values and respects every person.

Sincerely,
Jack R. Smith, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools

As frightening as it is to have swastikas in the middle school, this next story frightens me even more, because this involves adults who have been elected to pubic office.

Joshua Starr used to be Superintendent of Schools in Montgomery County. The night of the elections, he tweeted the following:

The Post can tell you what happened.

The fallout of a divisive presidential campaign played out on social media this week, after a state senator in Maryland blasted a message from the schools chief in Baltimore County asking that educators embrace groups of minority students.

The exchange started after Baltimore County School Superintendent S. Dallas Dance, who is active on Twitter, retweeted a message posted by Joshua P. Starr, the onetime superintendent of Montgomery County’s public school system.

Starr’s election-night tweet also addressed educators: “tomorrow pls show your muslim, black, latino, jewish, disabled, or just non-white St’s, that you love them and will protect them!”

Dance retweeted it Wednesday morning, setting off an angry reaction that included an online petition calling for him to step down.

“How about showing love to all students, every day?” one critic tweeted. “How dare you bring race and religion into this publicly.”

Said another: “Wow I can’t believe he just said that. What a racist ... .”

State Sen. Johnny Ray Salling (R-Baltimore County), a retired steelworker who lives in Dundalk and supported Donald Trump in the presidential election, took to both Twitter and Facebook Thursday.

“I’m very disappointed and angry with this message that Dr. Dance, Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools, shared on his Twitter,” he wrote. “All messages like this do is pit students against each other and further divide them. National leaders, from both parties, have called for unity after the election. Messages like this do the exact opposite.

“For working class families in the 6th district, like my own, our support for Donald Trump had nothing to do with race or gender. It had everything to do with economic insecurity and the feeling as if our communities have been neglected. People on both sides fail to realize that and only make assumptions.”

“It is my hope, that moving forward Dr. Dance will focus on working to address issues like the grading policy and lack of A/C in Baltimore County schools. . . . Moving forward, I will be working to unify my community and continue to listen to constituents of all races and backgrounds. I hope others will do the same.”

There is a cliche where someone, upon hearing about Black Lives Matter, comes back with "all lives matter," as if that were a wise and insightful thing to say. "Black lives matter" needs to be said because we have an epidemic in our country of police killing black people. Of course all lives matter, and the white people of Salling's consituency need hugs, too, but right now there is a deliberate campaign against minorities and weak citizens, and they are going to need some care and attention. Everybody needs love, but sometimes it's an emergency, sometimes somebody needs love and support right now.

On Thursday afternoon, Dance issued a statement.

“As superintendent of one of the largest most diverse school systems in our country, “ he wrote, “I always lead from an equity lens with an intense focus on all student populations and ensuring they feel welcome and supported. Education is not void of politics and during the last two years, our country has had one of the most divisive campaigns in modern history. Comments were made that disenfranchised several groups of students we serve in Baltimore County Public Schools.

“As our nation moves forward, it is our collective responsibility to make sure all students feel safe and know we are their advocates. As I continue leading our school system and as a member of several educational organizations, my continued focus is to work with local, state and national government representatives to move public education forward for all students.”

Starr said Friday that educators must protext the physical and psychological safety of children who might feel scared or vulnerable because of hateful rhetoric during and now after the presidential campaign.

“I think the reaction to my tweet and to Dallas’ retweet are indications of how much there needs to be done in our country and our schools to help white people understand the role that race plays in society and schools,” Starr said. “Donald Trump’s campaign brought out the worst of America – xenophobia, racism, anti-semitism, misogyny and disparagement of LGBTQ and people with disabilities – essentially anyone that’s not a white male. While not all people who voted for Trump did so because they share these beliefs, disregarding their potential impact on kids is irresponsible of educators. Educators need to be on the front lines of addressing injustice however it may manifest itself. We’ve already seen examples of kids of color being subject to hateful speech and actions in schools since Tuesday.”

The debate took place as some teachers, particularly those at schools with large immigrant and minority populations, faced classrooms full of anxious and distraught students this week. Many scrapped lesson plans Wednesday in favor of discussions about the election, seeking to ease fears that the students or their family members might be deported or that Trump might target Muslims. Social media lights up over message to show love for Muslim, black, Latino, nonwhite students

There is a little more.

Good people have to look out for our values and principles during these times, as defenders of prejudice are suddenly empowered to speak out against groups who can't defend themselves. I understand you are tired of it all, your shoulders are slumped, it seems like too much to take on. But you've got to.