Lebanon schools in hot seat over racism claims
LEBANON – Members of the Martin Luther King Community Coalition of Lebanon on Monday urged officials in this Warren County school system to bolster the district's programs on civil rights and inclusiveness.
About a dozen community members attended the Lebanon City Schools board meeting to offer the nonprofit coalition's assistance in implementing anti-racism training for students, faculty and staff and in sparking larger community conversations on racial issues.
"No parent should fear for the safety of their child in Lebanon City Schools," said Renee Forrester, a Lebanon graduate whose children attended Lebanon High School. "Silence gives the appearance that this type of behavior is acceptable as long as the target is a child of color."
The call for action comes less than a week after Heather Allen, a Lebanon mother of biracial children, filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, accusing school administrators ignoring complaints of racial harassment and bullying of her children.
Karen Schaeffer, pastor of Bethel AME Church in Lebanon, said the coalition wants to meet with district Superintendent Mark North and publicly elected school board members to build on anti-bullying programs already in place at Lebanon schools.
"We know clearly our schools are doing a very wonderful job in terms of providing an in-depth curriculum around bullying and harassment. What we now need to do is have a conversation in the community that really directly talks about race," she said. "We have an opportunity to be a model community in how to work through these kinds of situations."
School administrators presented details of current "anti-harassment, bullying and intimidation" programs in place at each of the district's six schools. Those programs range from role-playing with puppets for children in younger grades to school assemblies, workshops and lesson plans focused on social justice issues for older students.
Forrester said she had mixed feelings about the effectiveness of the district's anti-bullying programs in addressing race-based issues.
"They're doing a great job of addressing issues, but addressing racism? I don't know. They talked about bullying and said something about diversity, but didn't really explain how they're going about it," she said.
North told school board members that while the district already has programs in place to promote diversity, officials need to continue to "fight the good fight" to help students better understand and embrace tolerance.
"Just like we care about filling their minds with what they need to know to go out there and be successful, we want to fill their hearts so they can be successful and do it in a good way," said North. "The battle is not over. We have more work to do and we will continue to do that."
In her federal complaint, Allen cites nine incidents in which she says she complained to school officials this past school year about racial slurs and threats directed at her children in Lebanon High and Junior High schools. She accuses school officials of not responding to some of those complaints and of not responding aggressively enough to others to prevent the behaviors from reoccurring.
Board President Donna Davis-Norris read a statement from board members confirming the district had received a copy of Allen's complaint and that school officials were investigating the issues raised.
She declined to address Allen's allegations due to student privacy and potential litigation issues, but insisted administrators take prompt action against reports of racism and bullying, and that Lebanon schools offer a safe and welcoming environment.
"I am confident that the evidence will reveal that our administration responded appropriately when it was notified of possible misconduct," Davis-Norris said. "The board believes that the actions of a few misguided individuals are not in any way indicative of the good character and morals of our overall student body."