PHS drama teacher Kim Taylor and colleagues submitted the following letter to the Exedra on Friday. The letter is in response to recent postings on social media by students calling out a culture of racist behaviors and sexual harassment and assault within the school community.
To the students who are talking about racism and sexual assault:
We see you. We hear you. You are not alone.
Sexual violence and white supremacy harms communities, and we want to strive toward creating a community of care. We are called to educate ourselves in how to be more mindful of disrupting systems of oppression, and to move in new directions.
We are called to update our curriculum to be more inclusive and to model courageous conversations, taking into consideration when one’s intent differs from the impact.
We will not be perfect at this, nor will we expect perfection from you, but we will step into uncomfortable situations and work with you through it.
We are called to work with you and with your parents to change the culture. It won’t be easy. It takes time and dedication to rewire our brains to challenge the toxic systems that we have subconsciously or consciously internalized.
We are called to encourage the administration and the justice system to change policies, to create more spaces for healing, to create more opportunities to learn and grow, and to hold perpetrators responsible.
We are called to leverage our whole community to set the new tone of what is acceptable, to work towards love and care, justice and mercy for all of us.
We see you. We hear you. You are not alone.
Karen Bloom, Amiee Peri, Kimberly Taylor, Tammy Medress, Beth Black, Alaleh Ansarinia- Ford, Lori Morris, Alli Cota, Ben Spencer, Debbi Hill, Michelle Gary, Katie Terhar, Aaron Barlin, Carrie Poole, Katy Levin, Elise Marks, Stephanie Valdez-Kaminsky, Michelle Barbera, Jody Weverka, Dena McManis, Laura Archer, Erika Weisenberg, Emily Hook, Amy Moorhead. Jaimie Lasky, Tracy Broback, Sun Lee, Jessica Roine, Kathryn Levenson, Louisa Cheung, Robin Ludmer, Brenna Galvin, Lianne Morrison, Stefanie Manalo-LeClair, Matthew Klein, Jennifer Gulassa, Carolyn White, John White, Shoshana Beary, Joanne Guillén, Gabriel Kessler, Deysi Sahagon, Mercedes Foster, Gina McKuen, Tiffany Cothran, Amy Dunn-Ruiz, Michelle Mazzeo, Amy Sharp, Jessica Hedbavny, Helen Brown, Amy Savage, Jessica Ivry, Anjuna Lohnes. Sarah Kingston, Ashley Stevanovic, Anne Smith, Katherine Thompson, Michelle Kerwin, Ted Scherman, Ted Greenebaum, Amanda Carlson, Jessica McMillen, Colleen Stormer, Vanessa Miller, Erin Ashton, Joanne Chace, Lisa Brenneman, Andria Mullan, John Savage, Ken Taylor, Heather King, Gillian Bailey, Dave Keller, Penelope Sullivan, Rachna Dube, Daniel Horgan, Sandra Martin, Tom Palsa, Tom Huffaker, Marna Chamberlain, Auban Willats, Andy Willats, Gabrielle Kashani, Hannah Swernoff, Diana Miller, Christèle David, Virginia Leskowski, Ken Brown, Kate Campbell, Heidi Sawicki, Nancy Roscelli, Camilla Thayer, Annie Holland, Craig Best, Lesley Wighton, Ali Kelly, Nic Birondo, Michael Bracamonte, Jodi Carter, Jen Rinna-Hildreth, Shelley Seto-Rosen, Ashley English, Chris Hartford
Partial list; some teachers still on vacation.