Friday, Jan. 06 2012 9:46AM
Principal: Racist blog ‘not reflective of our student body’
By Rob Roberts, rroberts@lsjournal.com
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ReprintA student blog that used racially offensive language to describe life at Lee’s Summit North High School and that led to disciplinary action against its author last month roused concerns that there might be an underlying racism problem at the school.
But Lisa Jacques, the first-year principal at the school, said the student blogger was “not reflective at all of our student body.”
“I’m not going to be naïve and say that we don’t have any issues with harassment or bullying or racism,” Jacques said. “But I don’t think we’re different than any other building in the district or the metropolitan area.” To the contrary, Jacques said, students of all races at the school were more appropriately in the news this school year for their efforts to raise funds and awareness for Invisible Children, a campaign to stop a brutal rebel group from forcing young people in Central Africa into sexual slavery and war.
“We have a phenomenal student body,” Jacques said.
The 40-page “North Country” blog, which was scrubbed after word of its racially offensive content spread outside the school on Dec. 16, spurred comments on a KCTV 5 website alleging that some Lee’s Summit North students were scared to walk through hallways at the school because of threatening groups of black students that congregate.
“That’s not true,” Jacques said.
Jack Wiley, president of the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, added that he was not aware of any broad racial problem that merits action by the board. According to Wiley, the board’s only involvement in the situation at Lee’s Summit North would be a closed-session hearing if the disciplined student were to appeal. School district officials declined to say what disciplinary action was taken against the student or what policy it was meted out under. But Wiley said the student’s “suspension” was based on board policy relating to disruption of the educational setting.
According to the district’s investigation of the blog last month, it was not posted using school or district computers. But the board student-discipline policy relating to disruptive speech does not make the origin of that speech a prerequisite for discipline.
The policy bans “language … that is directed at any person that is in violation of district policy or is otherwise rude, vulgar, defiant, considered inappropriate in educational settings or that materially and substantially disrupts classroom work, school activities or school function.”
The policy also states that students will not be disciplined for speech in situations where it is protected by law. However, a separate board policy covering discrimination by employees and students states that “behavior that is not unlawful or does not rise to the level of illegal discrimination or harassment might still be unacceptable for the workplace or the educational environment.”
“Demeaning or otherwise harmful actions are prohibited, particularly if directed at personal characteristics including, but not limited to, socioeconomic level, sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation,” the policy adds. The Lee’s Summit Police Department is investigating the blog to determine if any laws were violated, Sgt. Chris Depue said recently.
According to reports, the blog was laced with racial slurs, including repeated use of the N-word, and referenced some students by name.
