• State Sen. Biaggi, disturbed and saddened by racial epithet at PMHS, condemns ‘any action fueled by hate’

Editor’s note: This letter from Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Champ and Jeannine Clark, principal of Pelham Memorial High School, was provided by the Pelham (Union Free) School District:

We are saddened to share that today, a racial epithet was found written on the windowsill of a PMHS bathroom. As a District, we condemn the use of racially offensive language and hate speech in all forms. This incident is contrary to our goal of building cultural competence among our students, faculty and staff, and is particularly troubling coming on the eve of Black History Month, for which our students have a number of educational and celebratory activities planned.

Please know that we are conducting our own internal investigation and are also cooperating with local police on this matter. Any student found responsible will be disciplined strictly in accordance with our Code of Conduct.

Our high school students have already engaged in a number of activities this year designed to combat hate. These include a presentation and reflection activity on hate crimes given to all students at the start of the year, and a variety of activities being conducted as part of our efforts to become an Anti-Defamation League No Place for Hate School, including our upcoming Westchester County Assistant District Attorney presentation on bias and hate crimes.

Experts in this field have told us that seeing an increase in reporting of incidents such as this is common when organizations make cultural competence a priority. It is a signal that students recognize that this behavior is not acceptable and that someone is willing to do something about it. We applaud those who have the courage to come forward when they see or hear such offensive language and believe it is a sign that our culture is changing for the better.

As always, we thank all of you for your support in helping to make the Pelham Public Schools and our community a better place for all.

Sincerely,

Cheryl H. Champ
Superintendent of Schools

Jeannine Clark
PMHS Principal