At last night’s School
Committee meeting, Superintendent Taymore read a statement related to the
current U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
investigation in the district. The statement reads as follows:
As you are aware, the Melrose Public Schools
received verbal notification that the U.S. Department of Education, Office for
Civil Rights (“OCR”) has determined that the Melrose Public Schools was found
to be in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a result of that finding, the District is
now in the process of negotiating a voluntary agreement with OCR to resolve the
underlying complaint.
The matter investigated by OCR involved an
interaction, which took place nearly a year and a half ago, between a Middle
School student and a teacher who is no longer employed by the Melrose Public
Schools. At the time that the incident was originally reported, Melrose Public Schools’
administrators immediately initiated an internal investigation and took
corrective and remedial actions to address the teacher’s inappropriate and
unacceptable conduct. The District also
offered remedial measures to the victimized student.
Let me be clear, discrimination in our schools, in
any form, will never be accepted or tolerated in the Melrose Public Schools. In
the sixteen (16) months since this incident was first reported and prior to
notification of the OCR investigation, the Melrose Public Schools, at my
direction, commenced a series of professional development trainings for staff
to address these concerns. These trainings
focused on the root causes of discrimination and the maintenance and further
development of a positive atmosphere in which all students feel accepted and
are empowered to thrive in the Melrose school system. Specifically, since the receipt of the original
allegation in April, 2014, the teachers, coaches, administrators, staff and
students of the Melrose Public Schools have engaged in nearly 100 hours of
training and professional development to improve our cultural proficiency and
the working and learning environments in our schools. This training and professional development
has focused not only on racial discrimination, but also issues of sexual
violence, sexual orientation, gender identity, language minority students and
disability related needs. Additionally,
we also engaged in targeted efforts to improve our response to allegations of
bullying and harassment.
In addition to these trainings and professional
development, we have provided specific training to the school psychologists and
guidance counselors who are often in the position to receive such concerns or
complaints. Our Principals and Assistant
Principals have engaged in professional development and received assistance
from private consultants and attorneys to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive
approach to the manner in which we respond to discrimination, bullying and
harassment. We
look forward to the assistance that the Office of Civil Rights can provide as
we work to improve and strengthen our knowledge and skills regarding not only
Title VI requirements, but also regarding how best to respond to any reported
incidents of harassment.
We, as educators and leaders, have a moral and
ethical obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of the staff and
students within our school community. It
is our obligation, not only to teach the academic curriculum, but also to
impart to our students an enduring and sincere commitment to mutual respect,
understanding and care for others. We
recognize that this responsibility, and these efforts, are critical to the
success of our students and we will continue to engage in aggressive and
comprehensive efforts to improve our practices as we aspire to eliminate all
forms of discrimination and harassment from our schools and from our community.
