Galvin incidents hashed out at forum

Published in the December 20, 2017 edition

By MARK SARDELLA

WAKEFIELD – More than 50 parents and residents attended a forum at the Galvin Middle School last night. The focus of the meeting was the school’s response to three incidents of anti-Semitic, discriminatory graffiti found in Galvin bathrooms over the last three weeks. The latest depiction of anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered Monday afternoon, after last night’s forum had already been scheduled.

Galvin Middle School Principal Adam Colantuoni began the meeting by recounting the sequence of events that has raised concern in the school community and the community at large.

The first incident involved a swastika found on Thursday, Nov. 30 in the boys’ bathroom in the area of the school auditorium, an area that is also used by the public during non-school hours. Colantuoni said that after conferring with Superintendent Dr. Kim Smith and School Resource Officer Kelly Tobyne of the Wakefield Police, a communication was sent out to parents regarding the incident. Students were brought together in small groups to talk about the incident the following day.

The second incident was reported to school officials on Thursday, Dec. 14. According to Colantuoni a student reported finding another swastika in a different stall of the same bathroom. Investigating these first two incidents has been challenging, Colantuoni said, even using security cameras and tracking patterns of student bathroom use, due to the public access during off hours.

On Monday of this week, a third swastika was found in a boys’ bathroom in the 6th grade wing of the school. In this incident, school officials were better able to narrow the time window and use cameras and sign-outs to further their investigation.

Colantuoni also outlined other steps that have been taken, including a review of bathroom protocols. Bathroom supervision has been increased in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades (Fifth grade was eliminated based on security footage and bathroom locations.) All bathrooms have been locked except for one common bathroom on the 7th grade floor, Colantuoni said. Boys have to sign out to use the bathroom and then sign in and out out at the bathroom itself. Boys are asked to empty their pockets to make sure there are no markers, etc. He said that those measures are not expected to be permanent.

School officials met with students yesterday to encourage them to continue to come forward with whatever information they may have. Based on students coming forward, Colantuoni said, school officials have identified one of the individuals involved in one of the incidents.

“That was a major breakthrough for us,” he said. “The other two incidents remain active investigations.”

Colantuoni also shared ongoing measures in place to combat such incidents. He said that following each incident the school has communicated with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), with whom the school already had an active relationship through the “World of Difference” peer leader program.

“They have been incredibly supportive,” Colantuoni said.

One parent asked about the disciplinary consequences for a student in such cases.

Colantuoni said that by law, due to student confidentiality, there were limits to the information that can be shared, but he said that the School Handbook is used as a guide and school officials have the leverage to go further in administering discipline if it’s deemed appropriate.

In response to another question, Colantuoni said that part of the overall response has been to discuss with students The Holocaust and what a swastika means. Colantuoni recounted a conversation with one student who clearly did not understand the depth of what a swastika meant.

Another parent wanted to know how the school was letting kids know what the consequences are of this kind of behavior.

Colantuoni said, that without getting into specific incidents, students “understand that if X happens, then Y happens.” He said that students and parents are asked to read and sign off on the School handbook where consequences for specific behaviors are spelled out.

One resident said that she believed that the students understood the meaning of the swastika.

“It’s a sign of hatred,” she noted. “The school has a serious problem, and it’s getting larger.” She observed that two of the incidents happened during the week of Hanukkah. “That’s not a mistake,” she said. “Two swastikas during Hanukkah is devastating.” She maintained that education around these issues needs to start at a younger age.

Another parent said that kids are picking up a lot of this behavior from social media. Colantuoni agreed and said that the school needs parents to partner with them to limit social media exposure and impose boundaries on kids online activities.

One parent said that in the community where she was raised, public schools were closed on the Jewish high holidays and she believed that this led to a greater level of awareness and acceptance.

School Superintendent Dr. Kim Smith said that Wakefield has never given students the Jewish high holidays off, but has recently limited homework and projects due around those days. She said that she believed that the School Committee would be open to going further if parents so wish.

Colantuoni also described a plan to have high school student diversity leaders work with 7th and 8th grade diversity leaders, who would then work with 5th and 6th graders.

Another parent maintained that much of what kids espouse is learned at home and suggested programs for parents. Colantuoni said that the idea of quarterly parent workshops was being discussed.

In response to a mother who said that her daughter was extremely upset about these incidents, Colantuoni said that the school was employing all resources available to stop it.

“We met with boys today and told them that it will stop,” he said.

One parent cautioned that, with any countermeasures taken, it was important not to foster further segmentation of groups within the town. It should be stressed, she said, that we are all part of one big community.

One resident thought it would be effective to bring the police in to scare the kids by stressing that these actions are highly illegal. “Sometimes you just have to lay down the law,” he said.

Police Chief Rick Smith was present at last night’s meeting and responded. He said that there were already a number of local kids in the court system as a result of these types of activities.

 “The police and the schools have a close relationship,” he said. He stressed that from a legal standpoint, it was important to differentiate between a hate crime and a copycat, or a kid just making a stupid decision to get a rise out of people.

He said that police do not hesitate to prosecute when it is warranted.

But one parent insisted that kids are not getting the message that these are hate crimes and that there are repercussions. The parent maintained that if Chief Smith were brought in to speak to kids about the repercussions of these kinds of behavior, it would make a great impression on them.

Both Chief Smith and School Superintendent Smith stressed the importance of direct, two-way discussions with parents as opposed to just on social media. They encouraged local residents to contact school officials directly. Dr. Smith said that she can often share more information in these direct conversations than she can in the mass emails that are sent out.

One parent wondered if the current emphasis on schools as a “safe spaces” had also had the unintended consequence of making perpetrators of these incidents believe that nothing would happen to them.

Another resident said that youthful perpetrators may not fully understand the significance of their actions, and may just be imitating what they hear on the 24-hour media. He suggested that the recent spike in casual use of the word “Nazi” to label political enemies trivializes the horror behind the word’s historical meaning. He observed that the current president has been so labeled, “and here’s a man who just made Jerusalem the capital of Israel. I don’t see this (the local incidents) as hate-filled as much as something a kid saw.”

Chief Smith called the current situation an “opportunity for the community to come together. We want this to stop — with an understanding of why it should stop. We want this to pass through education and, if we have to, law enforcement.”

Colantuoni said that he talked to 8th graders yesterday, and they were angry over the incidents.

“Kids are upset,” he said. “They’re outraged. It’s their school.”

Superintendent Smith expressed her full confidence in Principal Colantuoni and his team.

“I can’t think of anyone else I would want leading this school,” she said.

Colantuoni embraced the role.

“I take full responsibility for what happens in this school,” he said. “I grew up in this community. I am equally as frustrated as you around what’s happening here. I take this deeply personally.”