NEW: North High Principal Apologizes For Putting School Back in Spotlight

Email to a friend Permalink

Saturday, April 04, 2015

GoLocal Worcester News Team

In an email forwarded to GoLocal Worcester on Friday, North High Principal Lisa Dyer apologized to the school's staff for "reacting personally and hastily" to an article written by North High teacher Janice Harvey. In an email Monday, Dyer accused Harvey of aligning herself with a "racist blog," disrespecting the Superintendent and causing potential race relation problems at the school.

Principal Dyer's original email attacked Harvey's Worcester Magazine column titled "Coming Together, or Tearing Us Apart?" In the column, Harvey opines that Telegram & Gazette columnist Clive McFarlane and the organization Coming Together Collective is responsible for turning the events at North High into racial propaganda. 

Friday's email read:

Dear Staff at North High, 

Over the past few weeks, North High has been experiencing success in coming through what has been a trying time for students and staff. Because of that success, forward momentum and all your hard work, my intent in my recent letter to staff was to ask everyone to stay focused on and remain committed to positive attitudes, actions and the courageous work that was leading to a significant change in culture, climate and safety in our school.

Unfortunately, I reacted personally and hastily to an article that I felt had the great potential to draw us back to the negative place we had emerged from and back into the media spotlight. I apologize and regret the results of my actions.

We all know the majority of students in our school are students of color. Understanding the challenges of a very diverse population is essential to recognize as we deliver the kind of educational setting and opportunities our students deserve and requires the entire school to be committed to these efforts. My passion and commitment to this effort propelled me to write a letter, which resulted in putting us back in the spotlight that I was diligently focused on preventing.

Please understand, we are doing some REALLY good things together and working on many things for the future. I am fully committed to that work, our students, and you the staff, to accomplishing our goals. As I stated in my original letter, over the last few months I have witnessed great resiliency in our staff and students. Let us continue to do what we do best and again grab the reins of our school moving it to greater success.

Respectfully, Lisa Dyer Principal

Here is Monday's email:

"I want to make you aware that Janice Harvey has written an article in this week’s Worcester Magazine that may put us back on the front page and in a unfavorable light in the eyes of many within our students’ communities. To begin with, she re-hashes the negative events we suffered and have begun to overcome, and in my opinion, underestimates all the hard work staff has done in the building to turn things around, crediting the police instead.  In one sentence, she disrespects Dr. Boone, Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools, and aligns with Turtleboy Sports, a troll, known for his ability to incite causing maximum disruption and argument, particularly around issues of race for this troll.

Harvey then begins to trash the “Coming Together Collective”. As you may recall, I spoke on a panel to this group with Mayor Petty, City Manager Augustus, and Superintendent Boone. Harvey refers to The Collective as “activists” but neglects to tell you who they are. Within this group are the minority leaders of the City of Worcester: Pastors, Reverends, City Councilors, Lawyers, City Government employees, including North High teachers, alumni, business owners, social service agencies, college and university representatives, and concerned parents and relatives.  Let’s just say if we didn’t have race relation problems before, we certainly may have them now

This group, whom we work for as public servants, came together in response to a need at North High.  They were reading on TurtleboySports , people were calling our students (their children) “savages, animals” and the like. The site went so far as to say the North High teachers needed cages to protect themselves from the students; very racist stuff.

It then becomes apparent within her article that she cannot differentiate between “racial tension” and institutional racism.  Personally, I’m embarrassed when she says our teachers and students are colorblind. As if our students don’t know enough to honor the beauty of their complexions. Are we not teaching our students how to overcome challenges they may face in our society and their history in the eyes of America? Are we not helping to instill a pride in them of who they are?  

Why they are so disrespected and spoken to in such a condescending tone is something we all must ponder since she goes on to imply, she speaks for ALL North High teachers and students.

Cultural Competency 101: “colorblindness” suggests racism.  Why do we have to be “colorblind” to educate any student and treat them with dignity and respect? Complexion is a part of ones identity and the majority of us know the significance of identity to adolescent development. We cannot be colorblind if we are to prepare all of our students for success in the real world."

Related Articles

• Two Students Arrested, Still No Police Cameras at North High
• Was North High Principal’s Email Approved by Boone Before Being Sent?
• North High Principal Sends Email to Staff Aligning Teacher with “Racist”
• Is Boone’s Action Plan for North High Still in Play?
• Worcester Police Still Waiting On Boone to Link Cameras at North High
• North High’s 4th Bomb Threat of Year Has Students Demanding More Security
• Worcester Public Schools to Station WPD Officers at North High
• 599 Students Absent at North High School on Friday
• O’Connell Calls For ‘Listening Session’ on North High Issues
• Retired Educator and Former Alum Blasts City for North High Issues
• More Problems at North High: Vice Principal Assaulted Trying to Break Up Fight

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Email to a friend Permalink