Spa City teacher may display Black Lives Matter banner
Superintendent disagrees with parent demanding its removal
The superintendent of the city school district pushed back on a parent who demanded a middle school teacher remove a Black Lives Matter banner because it represents a “politically charged statement” and “doesn’t belong,”
At a recent Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Michael Patton said he supports Middle School Principal Scott Singer’s decision to not force the teacher to take down the banner that parent Andrew Sheffield’s child saw in a virtual lesson.
“One of our four core beliefs is that of equity of opportunity in providing all our students access to ... an educational experience we can all be proud of,”
Patton said at the Sept. 24 meeting. “We have committed as a district to helping all of our students overcome barriers to equity and providing student support they need to achieve academically and socially in our school community.”
His statement dismisses Sheffield’s complaint that the banner is as politically divisive as ones that read “MAGA” or “Biden 2020.”
“She has every right to support her causes outside, but the students shouldn’t have to have the topic influence them during class,” Sheffield said in a letter to the board. “Principal Singer said it’s not a political statement and doesn’t need to be removed. I argue it is very much a political statement.”
Patton said the school is making efforts to stand against systemic racism with a June resolution stating the district has “zero tolerance for racism of any kind” and “is dedicated to fostering a supportive and effective educational environment for all students.”
The initiative was started after the U.S. Department of Education in 2018 found that Black students in the city school district, who total 2.5 percent of the student body, made up 14.4 percent of out-ofschool suspensions and 6.6 percent of in-school suspensions.
“Our district continues to work extremely hard on inclusion, diversity, equity and our stance against racism in our schools and our local community,” Patton said. “We continue to work to champion our district’s effort to foster and facilitate growth and become a culturally competent school district that has respect for all.”
The Daily Gazette was the first to report on the controversy.
Other parents agreed with Patton, writing letters of support that were read during the virtual meeting.
One supporter said the teacher who displayed the banner “should get a 20 percent raise,” concluding “how can anyone oppose Black Lives Matter? .... Until Black Lives Matter no one can say All Lives Matter.”