Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Superintendent responds to online threats
Jim Scanlon: ‘Social media has changed the game’
Tuesday afternoon, West Chester Area School District Superintendent Jim Scanlon posted a letter to parents on the district’s website.
He wrote, in part: “Each school system must respond to threats in the way that it feels is most appropriate based on guidance from police, internal information, experience, and education/ training. Social media has changed the game, as parents see things that previously only administrators would hear via a phone call. Sometimes, we have information that parents do not.”
Scanlon also wrote that the safety of students and staff is of primary importance.
“In the case of a credible threat, our school district would always evacuate, and parents would be immediately notified via phone and email. We have extensive plans in place, and have reviewed them with police in the event of such an incident. We conduct active shooter drills at our high schools, and we feel we are as prepared as possible for this kind of situation.”
The superintendent is addressing the race issue.
“There have been rumors that the threat contained racial slurs and that this indicates a larger problem with racism at East High School. We will be meeting with our students over the next several weeks to discuss this issue, and reinforce that regardless of your race or racial experience, it is never acceptable to use this language.
“Our schools are a reflection of our society, and in that regard, racism does exist here, just the way it exists in every corner of our community. As much as we would like to think that it does not, the reality is that in our society, people of color are still sometimes unfairly judged and treated. I believe that is an important truth that must be recognized in order to truly make adequate progress.
“We must recognize and acknowledge racism in order to eradicate it. We work with our staff in training sessions on doing exactly this – recognizing subtle racism and understanding the experiences of people of a different race. We work very diligently on a daily basis to create school environments that are safe, inclusive, warm, welcoming, supporting, and that celebrate diversity. We do work to remove racism.”
“But certainly, this is a goal that is bigger than us. It starts at home and in our community. Several years ago, we formed Equity Teams in our school district that work specifically on these issues, and we are always looking for new ways to advance conversations about race in productive, respectful ways.
“Overwhelmingly our students tell us they feel our environments are safe and inclusive. Certainly, there is always room for improvement, and we continue to work on these issues. However I do believe that our staff and most students strive to be open-hearted, inclusive, and respectful. It is what we expect and require. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any questions or concerns.”