Thursday, September 4, 2014

Racist Sentry?

Awful story in the Post Standard today...

White Syracuse School Guard's 'Joke' Gets Black Student to Assume the Position, Mom Says

In response to repeated requests by community groups, students, parents, teachers and district staff, the SCSD Board of Education approved additional sentries for the elementary and K-8 schools. The goal was to provide additional security and – perhaps – to alleviate the concerns that many had about the safety of kids and staff in our schools.

This was the right thing to do and we applaud the district for doing so. Thank you!

If the allegations in this story are true, what this individual did to this young man is NOT ACCEPTABLE. And to use the excuse that he thought it was “a funny joke” is ignorant best. Had he REALLY thought it was a funny joke, he would have played it on other kids, not just the black male with special needs.

It demonstrates what we already know...
Racism DOES still exist within some individuals.

And this sentry’s alleged actions spoke volumes. But only for him – not for the district, not for the staff, not for anyone else. Only for him…

Please, please, please DO NOT let the actions of one individual negate the hard work that has been – and continues to be – done. And please don’t allow this incident to define our district, our teachers and staff, our community members.


We need to continue working together to create
safe and welcoming learning environments for ALL kids.

9 comments:

  1. I am completely shocked by this entry's behavior and can say with some degree of certainty that this is not his first time exhibiting poor judgment on the job. He should not be working with the public.

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  2. Exactly! This security guard has no filter. This is not the first time he has been in hot water. I understand he is suspended, but it is with pay right now, where it should be without until conclusion of the investigation. If his actions this time were "a joke" what will be next time when he jokes again? I wait patiently to see what Sharon Contreras, along with Jeremy Grant- Skinner and his staff in nonTalent Management will do. Laura Suarez stole money from Fowler while principal and last school year placed a child in an elevator control room as punishment, while principal at LeMoyne Elementary and she is now in Central Office on "special assignment". You lose good staff like Dr. Alvarado abruptly, and not even a blink. Contreras should see this as an issue with racial divide and incompetence of white staff to work in a culturally diverse environment. Now this is not true for all white, but bears some truthfulness in what community groups have been spewing at school board meetings. We are seeing more racial injustice being done to our young black/African American males, placing us in a 1960s era for prejudices and discrimination.

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    Replies
    1. Wow if this is not a racism. Do you know all white teachers and people in the SCSD? I am glad you think only people of color can teach people of color. Now if I subsitute the word color with white you and your friends would be saying how racsist that was. Let me explain this to you, RACEISM works both ways. STOP playing the race card. I all white teachers stopped working in SCSD you would have not enough teachers. I do not see people of color knocking down the doors to be a teacher. PS. Dr. Alvarado left because he disagreed with Contreras. I heard TA's, Teachers and admistrators of all colors say many time who raises these kids.

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    2. Please do not tell me that if it was three white boys who played "knocked out" on a black person and killed them that all three of those white boys would be on death row for a hate crime. Unlike the three boys who got a slap on the wrist for the senseless killing that they committed.

      Anyone can find an excuse to behave badly. At the end of the day you and only you are responsible for the choices you make.

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    3. "Incompetent white staff"? Are you kidding me? If anyone said there were incompetent balck staff...there would be a huge lawsuit and it would make the news around the country. Why do you have to go automatically to race? It's pathetic...ignorant is ignorant...there is no color associated with it. Contrares has gotten good at playing the race card and you have fallen into the same trap...or maybe she has learned from the other parents in this district that feel the way you do. You know, the kids learn their attitudes from adults...we need to be finding positive things to teach them and not harp on all the negatively. Racism unforutnately does exist, but that does not mean we have to perpetuate it.

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  3. If the news of the sentry's action went National and one poster believes it provides proof that the schools are rampant with racist staff, why did the two known cases of black teachers hitting students not make the news? One teacher was rightfully defending themself and another sub went after a third grader physically.
    Why do those go without comment? If those two educators were white....
    Such a double standard.

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  4. Why doesn't the following information go national...

    The following are stats pulled from a bar graph. For that reason the numbers are not necessarily exact. Could be a plus or minus 2 differentiation.

    Stats for STUDENT INVOLVED WORKER COMP CASES FOR SCSD (this means the injury to a staff member was caused by a student)

    School yr 2012/13
    July 19, Aug 2, Sept 35, Oct 49, Nov 39, Dec 18, Jan 36, Feb 18, Mar 50, Apr 50, May 48, June 18

    School yr 2013/14
    July 18, Aug 2, Sept 51, Oct 71, Nov 66, Dec 32, Jan 31, Feb 36, March 61, Apr 32, May 46, June 65


    Part of the reason the SCSD union staff members voted NO CONFIDENCE in the Superintendent is that in writing she called the escalation of violence in the district PERCEIVED.

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  5. In reference to the previous post concerning STUDENT INVOLVED WORKER COMP cases...

    In response to the PERCEIVED escalation of violence in the SCSD...in the 2012/13 school year there were approx 382 cases. In the 2013/14 school year, there were approx 511 cases.

    THIS IS A 33.77% "perceived" ESCALATION IN VIOLENCE!!!

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  6. Race plays an issue in many different ways. Everyone should be treated fairly, regardless of race. I realize that is easier said than done for many people, but it can and must be done. I had an issue in the district two years ago with a teacher. The kids didn't want to go to class because the teacher would call them names, spit at them, and throw things at them. When they told their parents, the teacher got even more upset. A meeting was held with her and she didn't apologize for a single thing...just kept putting the blame on the kids and calling them liars. The teacher then followed the kids to their room and got in their faces and told them they better not say another word to anyone or she would call them liars again. This went on for an entire school year. The entire class was finally assigned to another teacher after several parent complaints. However, nothing happened to her. The board and the superintendent took her word over ours. This was an entire class being attacked by this teacher...black, white, asian, indian...students of all color. I wonder if I were a black parent if I would have gotten the same reaction to things? I rather doubt it. Something would have been done. Instead, all the kids were adversely affected by this and still have strong feelings about what happened. Very unfortunate. Very unfair. Very sad. Also, very Contrares.

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