Community members voice concerns following assault tied to racist photo at State College high school
A recent assault at the State College Area High School with ties to a racist and antisemitic photo prompted community members to speak at Monday’s board of directors meeting, with Superintendent Bob O’Donnell also addressing the “troubling actions.”
The assault occurred at the high school on Feb. 1 after a photo containing racist and antisemitic imagery circulated.
The district was unaware of the photo prior to the assault, O’Donnell said during the meeting.
“We were absolutely not aware of the photo that was taken in the school,” he said. “Not one faculty member or administrator was aware of that until after the assault.”
About ten people who spoke during public comment voiced concerns about the district’s policies, questioned how the assault took place on school grounds and what will change in the future. Beyond O’Donnell’s statement, the assault was not addressed further by the board.
The local NAACP chapter started a GoFundMe campaign Monday afternoon to help pay legal fees for a 16-year-old Black student they say was charged in the assault after being “harassed and targeted” by a white student who circulated the photos.
The State College Police Department and Centre County District Attorney’s office have not commented on the charges, which are not public record for juveniles.
“It is unacceptable for a child to be charged with assault,” Lorraine Jones, president of the State College NAACP chapter said during the meeting. “...We are not asking for our kids’ dignity and respect, we are demanding it.”
During the meeting, O’Donnell assured those in attendance that the district would not tolerate racism or antisemitism of any kind but could not talk about individual student discipline due to privacy concerns.
“We are dealing with youth, and our response needs to be grounded in what’s best for our students,” O’Donnell wrote in a statement prior to the meeting.
A majority of those who spoke were concerned about racial harassment and bullying occurring at the school.
“The Black boy’s response ended up being physical after months, at least 30 days of being harassed and racially intimidated,” said Tierra Williams, a Ferguson Township supervisor. “How long was he expected to deal with racial bullying before a teacher or the administration stepped in?”
In an email over the weekend urging community members to support the family of the student charged in the assault, Jones wrote that “SCASD’s action against this 16-year-old Black youth will be disastrous for this young man.”
In a statement, O’Donnell clarified that the district does not have discretion to refer physical altercations to the police department.
“In addition to prompting our own internal investigations, every physical altercation within our high school is automatically logged by our school resource officer (SRO), a police officer,” O’Donnell wrote. “The district has no say in whether charges or arrests follow. Charges are up to the victim in collaboration with local police departments.”
On Monday night, community members and O’Donnell also spoke about restorative justice, a process that involves students, families, and possibly community members to help the students involved make amends.
”You must demonstrate how this incident provides all the members of staff the opportunity to practice respect, dignity and restorative justice as a way to reflect and implement SCASD practices,” Terry Watson said. “I would like to see SCASD administration and board members utilize the tools and training they have received by using mediation and restorative justice as a course correction.”
O’Donnell stressed that a restorative approach is a collaborative approach between the school and families.
“As we continue moving forward through the troubling actions in the high school we will work toward further preventing acts of bias and hate and to improve our school climate,” O’Donnell said.
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 2:04 PM.