October 5th was the first date marked on a long list of incidents involving hate speech and graffiti at Oyster River High School (ORHS). Last Thursday, November 30th, the “N” word was found carved into one of the school elevators.
Between those dates there have been an unprecedented number of reports regarding hate speech and graffiti at ORHS. Almost two months after the first incident, school administrators hosted class meetings, advisory conversations, and a parent forum. In spite of these events, the hate speech inside ORHS has continued. The elevator was vandalized with hate speech within three days of the most recent event.
There have now been six documented appearances of graffiti that classify as hate speech according to federal and state law, as well as the ORCSD Board Policy. Three of these have been antisemitic: two swastikas and the words “Heil Hitler”. There has been one incident of graffiti with the “F” slur and two with the “N” word. Aside from the most recent example – which was found in the elevator – all of the hate speech graffiti has been found in the boys’ bathrooms.
The hate speech has not been limited to just graffiti. The Nazi salute was used during a fire drill and there have multiple instances where the “N” word was shouted from school bus windows. Despite confusion surrounding what has happened and what details have been shared, one thing is clear: the hate speech in Oyster River has yet to end.
ORHS Principal Rebecca Noe said she was informed about the first graffiti incident around a week after it had happened, and after it had been removed by the custodial staff. Subsequently, the social studies department requested a meeting with her to discuss their larger concerns, which took place on October 17th.
After her meeting with the social studies department, Noe met with the custodial staff and administrators. She said it was at this meeting where she told them, “I want to know of any graffiti that is found, that we need to take pictures of it, and that I want to keep it on record from here on out.” It was a combination of information received from the custodians and social studies department during these two meetings – including new photographic evidence – that painted the picture of a bigger issue for administrators.
On October 19th, the day before the ORHS Pep Rally, there was a voluntary staff meeting where the new sign out procedures and methodical bathroom checks for male teachers were introduced. These procedures were mandated to be implemented the following Monday, October 23rd.
The 19th of October was also the day that Noe met with DEIJ coordinator Rachel Blansett to begin planning an advisory activity surrounding hate speech, and then later made a facilitation guide for teachers. The entire plan was discussed with district administrators before being distributed to teachers.
Administrators gave presentations in each of the class meetings on November 16th. Afterwards, small group discussions about the presentations were facilitated by advisors.
According to the ORHS newsletter from November 17th, addressed to parents and guardians, the goals were to develop a common understanding of hate speech, to clarify why the time had been taken to meet about it, and to overview what had happened, as well what had been implemented so far to stop it.
A memo sent out on November 8th from Superintendent Dr. James Morse set the tone for these presentations and conversations, when he stated that – as a school and community – the culture of ORHS needs to be made a safe space for every student. Noe backed the sentiment in the ORHS newsletter sent out on November 9th, saying, “Our goal is always to create a safe, accepting, and inclusive culture and space.”
Following the advisory conversations, senior Emerson Przybylski said she feels strongly about the seriousness of the topic, but that she knows how easy it is to feel like there are more people who do not. “I hope that I’m not the only person that feels this way. And having the conversation in advisory made me feel like I have people who feel the same way, and that I trust to have my back in serious situations.”
She also mentioned how difficult it is to be the first person to speak up and call out harmful actions for what they are. “I think people are just scared to be the different one, because you don’t know what other people are thinking. But I think being that one person is very important – it’s hard to find people like that,” said Przybylski.
Sherry Frost, who is currently a long-term English substitute and Przybylski’s advisor, said, “You can’t identify who your allies are […] until somebody tells you, ‘Yeah, I’m not down with that, let’s go do something about it.’ And that’s why I think these conversations are desperately important.”
The actual conversations varied drastically, depending on the advisory. Cooper Garland, an ORHS freshman said during his meeting, “It was very quiet, and no one really wanted to talk.” Garland said that prior to the class meetings and advisory conversations, “I knew there was a bunch of graffiti, and I knew that people were going in there [the boys’ bathrooms] to monitor every hour, or I had heard rumors of that, but I didn’t know if it was for sure. I’d heard a couple little things, but not everything, I guess.”
Maggie Aldous commented on the importance of communication, saying, “Honestly, I think if we knew more about everything, it would be easier for us to talk about it more. Because the problem was that it was just all rumors, so we didn’t know if anything was even true or not.” She also added, “I think that it [class meetings] was a little late, because all of the stuff was happening like weeks before.”
Noe acknowledged the vague communications as a result of trying to make sure the many other incidents of vandalism were separated in the way they were addressed. Noe mentioned this is something she and Morse have already discussed improving in the future. “And all I can say is that I’m sorry that we didn’t, and that was a mistake, and we will change that moving forward.”
Recent developments prove this is an ongoing issue, unlike what Aldous, and many others, might have concluded was something of the past. And although it is happening at school, Noe is asking that families “continue to have these conversations at home, because a school can’t change what’s happening in a community.” However, there are plans for more advisory activities in the future, because, as Noe also put it, “We can help educate, we can help guide students, we can make sure they understand what it means when something like that actually happens.”
The question now is what Oyster River High School students will choose to do with that education. Who is responsible for writing – or re-writing – Oyster River’s reputation? Some things aren’t as easy to erase as others, especially when the mark that has been left goes deeper than writing in a bathroom stall.
– Mia Boyd