Follow up on the bathroom writing...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I wrote to Brainerd High School. Here is what I originally wrote:

To Whom It May Concern,

This past weekend, the National Guard held a Family Readiness Training Academy for families of soldiers about to return from overseas. My husband, a soldier in the National Guard, was there as a part of this training. While there, he called me and told me that there were not one, but two swastikas drawn inside the bathroom stall near the teachers' lounge. He also noticed a third swastika drawn on a flyer outside of the teachers' lounge, advertising a blood drive. In addition to the symbols, there was also racist language written on the bathroom stalls.

I am writing to encourage you to do something about the hate symbols and words on your bathroom walls and posted flyers. Not only are they completely inappropriate, but I feel that if you plan on hosting family and community events where there will be children, you make efforts to clear your school of hateful speech.

I am aware that the markings are probably that of a student at your school, someone who is not yet mature enough to realize how detrimental perpetuating these kinds of beliefs are. But what I would like to see is a school who will be proactive about not only taking these messages down, but educating the students that this behavior is not acceptable.

I know it's very easy for me to sit here and criticize you and your school. I do not know how you handle these issues, you may very well educate your students on these matters, and if you do, then I commend you. I understand it's difficult to monitor each and every thing written anywhere in the school by students. But I am emphatically asking you to take down what is currently on the walls of your school so as to show that as a community, you do not condone that kind of behavior.

Regards,

Shannon Watson

And this is what the principal wrote back:

Dear Ms. Watson,

Good morning. My name is Andrea Rusk and I am the principal of Brainerd High School. I apologize for not responding to your email earlier as my secretary was out of the office last week and just forwarded your email to me.

Thank you for emailing our school in regards to the symbols found in a restroom and a flyer in our building. We respond immediately to these types of reports and will do a better job of monitoring our spaces for these types of hate symbols. You are correct; some of our students are very immature and do not realize the hateful behavior this has on our other students and community.

I have contacted our administration and our custodial staff to respond immediately to your email.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact our school in regards to this.

Sincerely,

Andrea Rusk
Principal
Brainerd High School

I then wrote her back, thanking her for her response, and letting her know I'm finding the same kinds of stuff on the bathroom walls at my college, and will be working with our counseling department to take care of that. I just wanted to give an update and say that sharing your voice can work!