A middle school is facing community uproar and questions about its diversity staffing after a number of students tore down Pride Month signs and menaced faculty members and other students.
The situation began on June 2 at the Marshall Simonds Middle School in Burlington, Massachusetts, a community roughly 15 miles northwest of Boston. The school had designated the Friday as a Pride Month spirit day, sponsored by the LGBTQ+ student group, the Spectrum Club. As part of the festivities, the halls were decorated with a number of signs and banners made by the club, with messages like "Happy Pride Month" and "Why it's not ok to say 'That's so gay.'" Students and faculty were also encouraged to wear rainbow clothing for the occasion.
The trouble began when a subset of students at the school began to lash out against the event, tearing down some of the signs and banners, or defacing them with "inappropriate" stickers, according to Boston.com. These students also allegedly menaced other students and staff with glares and chants that included things like, "U.S.A. are my pronouns." Some taking part in the protest also wore red, white, and blue clothing and face paint, suggesting a level of coordination.
In response to the incident, the school has been called out by the local Burlington Equity Coalition, called for town leaders to take action and demanded the school district fill a diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) director position that has been left vacant for nearly a year. It also asked that the town board reinstate a temporary DEI subcommittee it let expire in February in favor of requesting funds for training.
"While this is an opportunity for education for the whole community and a chance to remind residents that every person is important and welcome in our town, we also believe that without any direct and concrete action, these incidents will occur again and increase in severity," the coalition wrote in a statement.
In response to the incident, Principal Cari Purchase denounced the actions of the students and announced several new initiatives, including the creation of meeting times and anonymous forms for students to report hateful conduct. The school is also reportedly pursuing programs to promote tolerance, acceptance, and respect among students.
"I am truly sorry that a day meant for you to celebrate your identity turned into a day of intolerance," Purchase wrote in a statement. "Schools are supposed to be a safe place for ALL students and faculty. Some community members' actions created an unsafe environment for many of our students, caregivers, and faculty."
Burlington Public Schools Superintendent Eric Conti also weighed in on the issue, writing in a statement that while participation in Pride events like the one from June 2 is entirely optional, "respectful behavior across the entire student body, however, is non negotiable."
Newsweek reached out to the school district via email for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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