DISTRICT OF CHARACTER
Township schools system named 2020 National District of Character despite bias intimidation episode »
LAWRENCE » And the beat goes on.
Lawrence Public Schools has been recognized as a champion of good values despite the infamous racial debacle at the homecoming football game last fall.
Indeed, Character.org has once again anointed Lawrence Township Public Schools as a National District of Character.
The district previously received the accolade in 2014, a high-profile distinction that lasts five years before the district may apply for recertification.
Lawrence pursued and attained 2020 National District of Character honors even as the district remains well-known for the hateful episode that occurred about seven months ago.
On Oct. 18, 2019, Lawrence High School hosted a homecoming varsity football game that turned into a bully-fueled crime scene.
Three 17-year-old boys of Indian heritage used racially derogatory language toward a group of black female students attending the interscholastic event between Lawrence and Steinert high schools, officials said.
A video of the incident showed two teenage males of Indian descent hurling racial slurs and death threats at a group of black female students, prompting the mother of one of the victims to file a lawsuit seeking to force Lawrence Township Public Schools to implement antiracism sensitivity training on an annual or biannual basis.
The incident sparked a major police investigation in which two teenagers pleaded guilty to charges in family court, according to a spokeswoman from the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
The office withheld the names of the students who were underage when the offenses happened but confirmed two of them pleaded guilty to two counts of fourth-degree bias intimidation and were sentenced to a year of probation.
The punishment also required the guilty parties to write letters apologizing to the victims, pay fines, attend anti-bias training and undergo psycho-social evaluations, the prosecutor’s office said.
A third defendant in the case was originally charged with harassment, a petty disorderly persons offense, but authorities dismissed the case against him while the other two defendants confessed.
Lawrence Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ross Kasun condemned the “intolerant behavior” at a news conference last year and called the incident a “teachable moment” for the township.
“Many students have shared how [they’re upset with how] this is being portrayed in the news and social media,” Kasun said then. “They want all to know this is an isolated incident and not who we are as a school district. I know they will rise above this. We are going to work hard to become better as a district . ... We need to do better.”
Under Kasun’s leadership, Lawrence Public Schools has reclaimed its stature as a National District of Character, one of seven districts nationwide to receive the honor this year, which includes the nearby Pennsbury School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
“National Districts of Character have implemented the rigorous standards articulated in Character.org’s
11 Principles Framework for Schools,” the organization says in the certificate. “We hereby certify your district as an exemplary model for all school districts across the nation.”
The 11 principles for character development include a district’s commitment to building and maintaining a culture that promotes moral action, honesty and trustworthiness among students, faculty and staff.
An individual school community or district must complete a lengthy application to be considered for recognition by Character.org.
One of the leaders behind the push for Lawrence Township to win 2020 National District of Character honors was Amy Amiet, principal of Eldridge Park Elementary.
“Character education is woven throughout our district,” Amiet said Wednesday in a press statement. “It is not simply an initiative that is touched on occasionally or something done to receive an award. One sees character education in the classroom, the lunchroom, the hallway, the nurse’s office and the custodial office. It thrives on the stage, on the soccer field and at the bus stop. It is evident during
PTO and Board of Education meetings and is reflected in school and district communications and interactions with stakeholders. We are thrilled to receive this recognition for our staff and students’ dedication to living and modeling our values and to being mindful to do the right thing.”
In Hamilton Township, Grice Middle School has been named a 2020 National School of Character, one of 84 schools across the nation to receive the honor this year.
“We are pleased to announce and celebrate the schools and school districts who have earned this national recognition,” Dr. Arthur Schwartz, president of Character.org, said May 15 in a press statement. “Each of these schools and school districts has put in place a comprehensive approach to help their students understand, care about, and consistently practice the core values that will enable them to flourish in school, in relationships, in the workplace, and as citizens.”
Founded in 1993, Character.org is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.
Trentonian staff writer Isaac Avilucea contributed to this report.