Oxford Middle School administrators found themselves busy this morning (May 5) after a video of a verbal argument between a black female student and white male student in which threats, foul language and racial slurs were used went viral on social media late Monday night. The video was posted but has since been removed.
According to a press release the incident took place nearly an hour after the school day had ended.
‘The behavior by all parties witnessed in the video fell far short of the values expected of Oxford Community Schools students and will not be tolerated. There were teachers and other adults in the building at the time of the incident, and they responded to the situation as soon as it was recognized,? stated the press release issued by the district. ‘The middle school has been proactively working to discourage loitering after school and recently addressed the issue with a message to parents in late April.?
According to OMS Principal Dacia Beazley, ‘The administration took action immediately after the incident on Monday with the information that was available at that time and administrators are conducting an on-going investigation into the occurrences in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the event.?
The male involved in the incident was immediately suspended for three days and the female stayed home Tuesday due to personal reasons.
‘Once our investigation is complete, we (will) follow the guidelines set forth in the district code of conduct and the board of education anti-bullying policy so that we ensure all students are treated appropriately,? she added.
As for the students who were bystanders during the altercation, Beazley said each of them is being addressed individually.
While the damage has already been done by the video being made public, the school used the incident as learning tool to ‘help them grow in their understanding and decision-making.?
Beazley started the day off with a message to the students.
‘Today is about healing and moving forward in a way that brings us together so that something like this never happens again. We will take this situation and turn it into an opportunity for all of us to learn and become better. The most important part of my job is making sure all of you are safe. I want you all to know that what happened yesterday hurt me as your principal and as a person. I am going to work even harder to make sure this doesn’t happen again,? Beazley said.
‘Racial discrimination happens every day in our nation. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that can happen at our school. It will never be tolerated. I want all of us to use this time to really talk about how we change starting today. I know we talk about standing up and not being a bystander, yet it’s clear we aren’t there yet – when no one stands up to hate, we have a long way to go. I believe in this school, I believe in this staff, and I believe in you. How do we take a really sad moment and turn it into something that makes each of us better, and in turn makes our school better – a place where everyone is accepted – no matter what? It starts with kindness…and it starts with each one of you.?
After her statement, OMS teachers spent part of first hour guiding a discussion about what could be learned from this incident. The focus of the discussions was on the climate and culture of the school.
‘Students were asked to discuss what they thought others would think of the culture at OMS after seeing the video and what steps can be taken to help rebuild the climate of the school,? she said.
As far as the incident, Beazley said it was an isolated one.
‘We have not previously dealt with or seen an incident like the one on Monday,? she said.
She noted that she knew this because OMS employs a video surveillance system and has a full-time Dean of Students who handles all student conflict allegations.
‘The middle school also participates in a bully prevention program run by the district,? Beazley said. ‘All teachers are trained in Olweus prevention measures. Training includes recognizing types of bullying, how to address the bully, the victim and the bystanders.?
While the video sheds somewhat of a negative light on the school, she hopes that better days are ahead
‘Oxford Middle School has received an outpouring of support from our Wildcat family who knows that an isolated incident does not define our school or our community,? she said.