Good Morning, Reading Public School Community,

It is with great disappointment and sadness that I share with you that another incident of hate speech, the third this year, was found on Monday morning in a bathroom at Reading Memorial High School.  This senseless and threatening graffiti targeted our LGBTQ community with the phrase “Kill the Faggotts”.  Below is the letter that was sent by RMHS Principal Kate Boynton to the RMHS Community regarding this latest incident.

I echo what Town Manager Bob LeLacheur said in his statement yesterday that these acts of hate need to simply “stop.”  We are in a time of great unrest in our country where different groups are being targeted.  The tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg this weekend where 11 members of the Jewish Community were killed is only the latest example of these targeted acts.  Unfortunately, our schools and community have also been impacted with recurring hate speech and swastikas.  It is how we respond to these events that define us, not the events themselves. All of us, including parents, administrators, staff, students, and the greater Reading Community, need to come together and recognize that these acts of hate speech are real and need to be addressed by all of us working together.

As Superintendent of Schools, I will continue to work collaboratively with our school administrators, teachers, staff, parents, students, town officials, community leaders and Police to strengthen our culture of inclusiveness, remove divisiveness, and create a safe and supportive community for our staff and students.  We want every student and staff member to feel that they can come to school every day and be part of a positive learning culture.

I encourage you to attend the Community Candlelight Vigil which will be held this Saturday, November 3^rd, at 6:00 p.m. at the front entrance Reading Memorial High School “in support of human rights, in celebration of diversity and in opposition to hate and bigotry”.  It is events like this and the rally that was held on the Town Common on October 20^th, which will unify our community and send a message that hate does not have a home here in Reading.

John Doherty

Superintendent

Reading Public Schools

---

October 30, 2018

Dear RMHS Families and Staff,

I am writing to the RMHS Community this morning to inform you of yet another incident of hate speech that occurred at RMHS yesterday morning, this time targeting and threatening the LGBTQ+ community. Yesterday morning, a student reported to a teacher that there was graffiti located in a stall in a bathroom at RMHS. The graffiti read “Kill The Faggots”. Based on information from staff members, we are certain this graffiti was created yesterday, during a very short window of time. Administration is working with staff to identify possible persons of interest and we are also working in close conjunction with the Reading Police Department, as this is an active investigation. We are treating this, and the other incidents of hate speech, which have occurred at RMHS this year, with the utmost importance and urgency.

These acts are not who we are or what we stand for as a school and they are not who we are as the greater Reading community. And yet, they continue to occur with alarming frequency and with this new incident, broadening scope and increasing threats of violence. In a society that has turned increasingly divisive and polarized, it is crucial that we emphasize kindness, empathy, and respect for difference and continually speak out with a unified voice against hate.

Yesterday, I met with the RMHS leadership team, our counseling and social work staff, and the student group A World of Difference to strategize and plan a unified and sustained response to these acts of hate. In addition, I held a voluntary staff meeting at the end of the school day. We have a range of short and long-term actions planned, which are outlined below. This morning, AWOD created a public display decrying hate speech and they sent out personal messages of kindness that were placed on every student’s locker. RMHS will hold an evening candlelight vigil on Saturday, November 3rd from 6-7pm outside the front entrance of RMHS “in support of human rights, in celebration of diversity and in opposition to hate and bigotry” that will be open to students, staff, parents and the greater Reading community – all are welcome to attend.

Additional details about the vigil will be forthcoming. As a school community, we plan to hold several school wide “town meeting” style courageous conversations over the next few months with students and staff with the intent of sharing our stories, breaking down barriers and creating a stronger school community based on mutual respect. We are looking into sponsoring whole school book-reads around topics of race, class, religion, culture, and diversity to help extend and ground our conversations in literature and current research. We are looking at providing professional development to all staff to equip them with better skills to have courageous conversations with their students on a more regular basis, and we are committed to an internal audit of our curriculum to find areas where we are missing opportunities to engage students in meaningful conversation and learning about these important topics.

We seek to find those responsible for these acts and we must continue to educate our entire community if we hope to prevent these acts from reoccurring. To this end, I urge any student or staff member with information about who might have committed this or any of these heinous acts to come forward and speak to administration. To the individual(s) responsible, I implore to do the right thing and take responsibility for your actions and come forward. The time is now to be Upstanders.

We will continue to work closely with the Reading Police Department, the Superintendent and the Town of Reading to address this and any future issues. If you have any questions, concerns or information about this incident, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Kathleen M. Boynton

Principal, RMHS