The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Confederate flag prompts safety steps
Superintendent Connor: ‘We are going to take extreme measures’
MIDDLETOWN — The city’s first African-American schools superintendent has pledged to take a hard stance against bigotry and racism in the wake of an incident Friday morning during which a Middletown High School student waved a Confederate flag on school grounds.
“We will be proceeding swiftly to address this matter and are going to take extreme measures to ensure safety for all our students,” Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner said.
Conner, who was out-of-state Friday, said he could not speak specifically about the incident, or any disciplinary actions, because of student privacy issues.
The young man, who walked around a parking lot on school property with the flag at the start of classes, was exercising his right to express his opinions, officials said.
“He has a right to free speech, but he did use bad judgment,” said Middletown Police Department spokeswoman Lt. Heather Desmond.
There was an arrest made at the school Friday for an unEducation related dispute between a boyfriend and girlfriend, she added.
Police examined video footage taken by students and others who witnessed the incident, Desmond said.
The school will be taking extra security measures and staff will be meeting with the executive board of the Minority Student Coalition. One of the members spoke “very eloquently” to the student body Friday denouncing the act, Connor said, adding the issue falls under student safety.
“The Middletown Board of is committed to creating and maintaining an educational environment that is physically, emotionally and intellectually safe and thus free from bullying, teen dating violence, harassment and discrimination,” reads the School Climate Improvement & Bullying Prevention notice on the district website.
As an African American, Conner said the incident really hit home and he is beyond grateful for the outpouring of support from the school community.
“The Middletown community has embraced me with open arms. We’ve had really hard discussions around equality and what that looks like for our students,” said Conner, who added he was moved when staff and parents began reaching out to him personally. “They are not only concerned for students but me, as an African-American. This is going to be a community healing process for us. There is a lot of history here that we fought for as a coalition to eliminate racism and eliminate bigotry. We’re going to take a collective stance.”
Middletown Public Schools has always been one of the leaders in the state when it comes to racial parity, Conner said, acknowledging this conversation has been ongoing in many districts around the state — and nation.
“We’re going to fight racism and bigotry in every which way,” Conner said.
Last year, cities across the South engaged in bitter debates over Confederate symbols, prompted in part by the 2015 shooting of nine black worshippers at a Charleston, South Carolina, church by an avowed white supremacist, according to an Associated Press story.
Opponents say the monuments are offensive relics of the region’s racist past, while supporters call them a part of history that should be preserved, the AP reported.
The conversation surrounding equality is especially important on the eve of the city marking the birthday of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Committee of Greater Middletown’s 25th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration will feature a procession on Main Street. It will be preceded by remarks by keynote speaker Donna Hylton, pastor of administration and counseling at Shiloh Christian Church and professor at Middlesex Community College, at noon at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Main Street.
That will be followed by the celebration at First Church of Christ United, 190 Court St.
“I look at it as a cherished holiday,” Conner said. “The conversation he started facilitated me being in this role.”
He said he sees this as an opportunity to begin conversations, albeit tough ones, centered on King’s vision for a society in which people of all colors and nationalities are truly equal.
“Even though it’s a negative depiction of what people believe, it’s also an opportunity for us as a community to really celebrate and promote equality on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday,” Conner said.
Meanwhile, the student body has some healing to do and much work ahead, he said.
“We have some very, very sad kids and adults at Middletown High School who are truly upset by this,” he said. “We will be moving forward with due process in accordance with our policy.”
Members of the community will meet Friday at 7 p.m. at the Open Door Missionary Baptist Church at 76 High St. in Middletown to discuss what happened.
“We are looking to band together and take a stand in a meaningful way to ensure that the district keeps us in the conversation,” DeLita Marie RoseDaniels posted on the Parents of Middletown CT Students Facebook page.