School under fire over statement on racism

Clarendon pupils say they have experienced microaggressions

A Clarendon High School statement condemning racism has stirred controversy, with some parents and old girls saying it presents an inaccurate narrative of the school.

The statement, which was published on the East London girls school’s Facebook page, says the school condemns racism and requests that parents and guardians ensure their daughters uphold its code of conduct and be “responsible social media users”.

The statement refers to Clarendon as “a values-based school committed to taking a stand against any forms of racism”.

“Recent events [referring to police brutality in the US] have upset us all and we appeal to our parents/ guardians for their help in ensuring ... that our girls’ voices on social media echo our school values and commitment to a non-racist SA”, it says.

But many on social media said their experiences at the school were very different.

Some among the more than 700 comments cited racist incidents and microaggressions experienced by girls at the school.

In response the school governing body (SGB) issued a further statement on social media on Friday.

That statement opens by saying: “We acknowledge with great concern the dialogue on the Clarendon Facebook page that highlighted issues and incidences of racism and discrimination at the school.”

The SGB said a committee would be formed to update policies and the school would work with the community, parents, students and old girls to “build an institution that we can all be proud of”.

“The SGB has resolved that a committee will be established to review and update current policies and to facilitate a forum that considers and addresses all issues and incidents of racism and prejudice.”

When asked to comment on the statements and the criticism the school received, principal

Julie Patrick and the SGB referred questions sent by the Daily Dispatch to the education department..

Department spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani said the BCM district director had received a report and statement from the school and the department had “noted that the SGB and the principal did issue a statement distancing themselves from any practices of racism”.

“In light of these complaints on social media, the district plans to have a look at their code of conduct.

“We will also carefully scrutinise all the allegations made, and if necessary consider further in-depth investigations.

Any forms of racism, subliminal or cultural, will not be tolerated in any of our schools,” Pulumani said.

The allegations brought against Clarendon are the latest in a series of concerns about race raised at various former model C schools around the country, including Pretoria Boys’ High and Durban Girls’ College, in the context of the #BlackLivesMatter protests that were revived in the US by the brutal death of George Floyd.

At Bishops Diocesan College in Cape Town, a peaceful protest on Friday saw Grade 12 pupils present a memorandum, detailing a list of demands, to school management.

The memorandum called for the school to put an end to racism and discrimination.

“In the same way that the #MeToo movement has helped in confronting the institutionalised abuse of women, the #BlackLivesMatter reverberations from the US are surely an opportunity to confront any remaining vestiges of residual racism,” Pulumani said.

It was vital that a school’s code of conduct reflected the “world views and realities” of all pupils. “That can only happen if all parents play their role in their children ’ s schools and participate in meetings and support activities that define the culture of a school,” he added.

Some among the more than 700 comments cited racist incidents experienced by girls at the school