Dear
Quincy High School Staff, Students, Parents, and Guardians,
We are
writing to inform you that there was a physical altercation between two Quincy
High School students at the end of the school day that was the result of a
video created by one of the students that contained racist hate speech. The video was created outside of school over
a year ago but recently shared between students on social media. As in last week’s incident, today’s
altercation is the result of students’ ability to communicate impulsively and
without the maturity to understand the consequences of their actions. The altercation was witnessed by many
students and staff and is extremely disturbing to the entire school community.
While identifying
the issues of racism and hate speech are easily done, the more difficult work
is to address the root causes of these conflicts and support the students and
staff affected. There are clearly issues
with culture and climate that require collaboration with outside resources and
strategic planning in order to move forward with reinforcing our schools as safe
and supportive environments.
Quincy Public Schools has engaged
Walker Therapeutic staff to assist Quincy High School staff in meeting with
students on Wednesday, November 10 from 8:15 am to 10:30 am in the Quincy High
School auditorium. There will be
opportunities for all parents and guardians to participate in community forums
in collaboration with Walker Therapeutic on Friday, November 12 at 3:00 pm
(virtually) and on Monday, November 15 at 5:00 pm at Quincy High School. (Additional details about these will be
shared tomorrow.) These are immediate
responses to the ongoing work that will continue to be done with students on a
daily basis through community building, health education and interventions, and
peer mentoring.
As
always, please contact us at the phone numbers or emails below with your
concerns.
Sincerely,
Kevin W. Mulvey, J.D., Superintendent of Schools
617-984-8701
kevinmulvey@quincypublicschools.com
Lawrence Taglieri, Quincy High School Principal
617-376-3352
lawrencetaglieri@quincypublicschools.com