By Solomon Hunter and Rhonda Brownstein, The Education Law Center
When one or two individuals in an organization blatantly act out in discriminatory ways, it’s easy to imagine that dealing with those individuals, primarily by removing them from the organization, solves the problem. The message, often, is that these individuals were outliers and in no way reflect the views of other members of the organization.
That was the approach last year in the Oxford Area School District, where a school principal was eventually ousted following the disclosure of abusive and discriminatory statements in text messages and email exchanges about students with disabilities. According to parents and advocates, though, the emails and text messages were simply the electronic manifestation of discriminatory in-person interactions occurring on a regular basis.
A year later, and approximately 20 miles away from the Oxford Area School District, come charges revealing that two Coatesville Area School District officials were exchanging racist and sexist text messages about District students and staff.
The two officials have resigned from the District and that is a good, if perfunctory, first step. We would encourage the Coatesville Area School District school board to go a step further and do the challenging but infinitely more important work of examining the culture in which these individuals operated without accountability for their behavior.
Certainly, this is not to say the District’s other leaders, staff and teachers share the views expressed in the exchanges between former Superintendent Richard Como and former Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Donato.
It is to say that this is a moment to examine — truly examine — the daily interactions between administrators and parents, between administrators and teachers and between teachers and students, that have become routine and that, repeated time and again, seep into the culture of an individual school or an entire school district for better or worse.
And it is a moment to recognize that Coatesville is not the only school district in our state that would benefit from that kind of examination.
The Education Law Center, a statewide, non-profit legal advocacy organization, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice seeking an investigation into the discriminatory placement of students in alternative education programs throughout the state — including in the Coatesville Area School District.
The complaint cites Pennsylvania Department of Education data showing that a disproportionately high number of African American students are removed from traditional public schools and sent to educationally inferior alternative education programs, often in violation of federal laws.
While African American students comprise only 15 percent of Pennsylvania public school students, in 2010-11 they comprised 35 percent of the students placed into alternative education programs. Forty-five school districts — including Coatesville — had a disparity of 20 percentage points or more between the percent of African Americans in the district and the percent of African Americans placed in the districts’ alternative education programs.
Those numbers are important, but they don’t tell us the whole story. What’s required is a deeper investigation into the alternative education policies and procedures currently in place, and how school officials understand and act on those policies.
The Department of Justice could conduct that investigation, as requested in the Law Center complaint, but so could a local school board. There’s nothing preventing the Coatesville school board from doing its own research and investigation into how the District handles alternative education placements — and other decisions that may disparately impact children of color.
Understanding how school leaders, from a superintendent to a classroom teacher, interact with students and how students interact with those leaders is a necessary step for any school board. From that understanding, districts like Coatesville can move forward, choosing from a variety of proven practices and programs to improve those daily interactions.
Our digital age provides us with nearly limitless opportunities to track and record our words. That can often prove useful in situations where authority figures abuse their power. But catching someone’s inflammatory text or bigoted email isn’t enough to change a culture of discrimination. To expose that discrimination and bigotry — and eliminate it — we must address the everyday, face-to-face interactions between all members of a school community.
Solomon Hunter, Esquire, is a graduate of Coatesville Area High School and serves on the board of directors of the Education Law Center.
Rhonda Brownstein, Esquire, is the Executive Director of the Education Law Center, a statewide organization based in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
I can tell you the actions of these two men does not reflect the true spirit in the Coatesville school district. It is the most color blind environment I have ever seen in a school district . Could there be some racist employees? Yes but we have to judge the majority. From the students to the teachers I can honestly say color blindness is the normal. To slap this slop on the whole school is disrespectful to the students and the district. The problem is people who have an agenda who start this garbage. Yes I think there is another shoe to drop but please do not project your racist ideas on these students and teachers.
Take into consideration that the superintendent, Richard Como took over the hiring process and put in place those he wanted (board approved). We as people associate with like minded individuals. As much as we would like to think we do not, unfortunately we do. No organization in this country is truly diverse. Many of Como’s friends (like minded individuals) were hired into the district. They have an attitude much like Como’s of being able to do what they want or of being invincible. Each of them looking out for their or that of their family’s own best interest. For example: principal Fisher, and his son in-law, principal Fisher fills in for his son who is often absent from his responsibilities and his son (it is rumored) will move into his position of leadership in the district once Fisher retires (employees are prepared for this to take place). Mr. Dainty (check his salary) who is a friend of Como’s (initially hired as a sub at a substantially high salary check the board minutes), and his wife was hired in the district. Fisher’s wife and Romanello’s wife did or still do work at the district. Board member Ritter’s daughter was promoted over more qualified teachers in the district (this does not help morale). It has been said a few of Como’s special lady friends were treated royally one was promoted to the Human Resources Director position, despite not having qualifications, and then the one that is/was in a well paid leadership position in the guidance department (rumor to have resigned as well). Board member Ritter stands to gain with a sweet realestate investment from the district, Tonya Taylor had in-laws hired in the district as Paul Johnson had family employed in the district. It has become a practice of board members serving and moving into paid positions within the district. No doubt some current board members were planning to do the same.
It is a known fact that the moral and ethical behavior in any organization reflects from leadership down to the lowest level employee by example. Most often or majority of the time subordinates will not buck the system established by leadership in any organization for many years. The wrong behavior although often recognized as wrong becomes the adopted organizations culture and the right thing to do despite how wrong.
It would be most difficult for a school board so caught up in the adopted culture, the behavior of seeking what is best for their own best interest (financial gain for themselves or family members) to even want to research want may be unfair practices. Far too long members of the CASD Board have been a part of the ongoing problems rather than the solution. A board that has rubber stamped what a superintendent has been practicing for years. A board that helped place some of those children in “Alternative Education Programs”, a board that helped take away the educational programs that worked for so many prior graduates, a board that took books and educational curriculum away from the students, a board that did NOTHING to bring more innovative educational programs into the district during a time when STEM grants were readily available, a board that did nothing but hire high priced attorney’s to provide legal representation, a board that did nothing but let the superintendent dictate their moves a board that did not give a damn about the students educational best interest, but were too willing to give the superintendent a raise as well as place the superintendents son in a high paying position. How on God’s green earth could one expect the board to even seek to do what is right? Who has investigated the number of times a board member or a business operated by the board member received payment from the school district for services in the district? Look into this and you will see where the board members loyalties were. It will not be with the students.