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A couple with kids in Pleasanton Unified School District recently spoke out at a school board meeting to raise awareness about what they said has been an ongoing issue of students saying a racial slur and asking Black and African American students for a pass to use it.
Both of the parents said because they have three kids in Pleasanton schools, they want to ensure the district reviews its policies and finds a way to put an end to something that is directly affecting at least one of their kids.
“A few months ago, my seventh grader was having an off-day. He came in and I could tell something was wrong,” Simon Atkinson, one of the two parents, said during the public comment period at the March 28 school board meeting.Â
“When I asked him what was up, he broke down in a flood of tears,” he added. “He told me not only was he hearing the ‘n word’ all day at school, like dozens of times; kids are coming up to him and saying ‘Hey man can I get a pass so I can say it and be cool like the other kids.’ That’s not OK.”
Lashawn Atkinson, Simon’s wife, said she emailed PUSD Superintendent David Haglund back in December about the issue, asking for something to be done at a district level but she said no action was ever taken.
“At a minimum, PUSD needs to institute a district-wide policy that specifically addresses the ‘n word’ and says that it’s not allowed on any of its campuses or anywhere PUSD is represented,” Lashawn Atkinson said at the meeting. “Having it lumped in with other hate speech is not enough because this is the only racial slur (that) some people feel it’s OK to say it if they ask permission first, or if they change the ending from ‘er’ to ‘a’.”
According to Haglund’s superintendent report that was included in the district’s April 12 newsletter, he said that while he wasn’t at the March 28 board meeting, he wanted to acknowledge the issue and assure the community that the district is working on reviewing its policies and regulations.
“This is completely inappropriate and angering to hear that it continues despite efforts to teach tolerance and sensitivity,” Haglund wrote. “As a community, we can and must do better by these students — children who have been historically marginalized in this country and community.”
He also said the district will work with school site leaders to support staff on how to intervene when any racist behavior is seen on any campus and that staff will soon bring the issue up at a future school board meeting so the public can know how policies will be implemented to prevent this from happening again.
Lashawn Atkinson added that the district needs to also specifically address the issue of asking for a pass to use the racial slur because it is a form of bullying or harassment, even if the kids don’t mean it that way.
“I realize when kids are asking for these passes, that their intent is likely not to bully or harass, but that’s the impact that is having on our African American students,” she said. “Intent doesn’t minimize impact. Hearing the word in passing whether it’s directed to that student or not is triggering. It can lead to feelings of inferiority and embarrassment that child will carry with them throughout their day and throughout their years at PUSD and beyond.”
She also said that hearing the racial slur or being asked to get a pass from other students could affect Black and African American students’ sense of belonging and that it’s important to address this now because teachers need to be better equipped with ways of dealing with these cases.
“There are teachers that have heard it and look the other way because they don’t know how to respond,” she said. “At a minimum, they should be able to say ‘Hey, you can’t say that word, it’s against our district policy.’ “
She even cited the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan which states that the district must “work intentionally to uncover systemic barriers to equity and inclusion, and then work to foster an inclusive equity centered culture.”
She asked what the district is doing to achieve this goal and said even though the district has its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force, she feels like the task force hasn’t been doing anything other than listening campaigns that don’t get any real work done.
“What I took away from the listening campaign was a parent who commented that we’ve had meetings like this before, and nothing ever changes,” Lashawn Atkinson said. “To me, that makes the task force and listening campaign feel performative.”
Simon Atkinson said that while he and his wife have told their son to deny giving passes to kids that he considers friends and to tell them that using the word is not OK, the scenario keeps happening and it is violating his 13-year-old son’s dignity.
“This is not a burden that not only my son is carrying, but every African American student in your district is carrying as well,” he said.
Apart from the father giving the board ideas of ways to combat this issue — such as putting out statements and using other school district’s policies as examples — Jill Carbone, a faculty member at Las Positas College, also backed the two parents by saying she agreed with them and that PUSD needs to take action as soon as possible.
“This is a lightning rod issue and it’s not going to get better if we ignore it,” Carbone said. “For the immediate future, I expect the district to create a policy that the ‘n word’ will not be tolerated on our campuses as well as in extracurricular activities.”
Like the Atkinsons, Carbone said that other districts that faced similar issues have found solutions and that it is time for PUSD to do the same.
“It is time for our district to take action against these repeated acts of racism and create a welcoming and equitable learning environment for all of our students,” she said.
Board President Mary Jo Carreon said that she was “horrified” by what the Atkinsons shared and asserted that future discussions on the matter will be had.
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The timeline is important here too. The parent emailed in December. The parent was at the board meeting in March. Dr. Haglund was not there. Then in April he finally acknowledged this problem. Hiring a DEI person in the district office has not solved this issue. When will our School board acknowledge the fact that our superintendent is not doing his job?