Thumb’s up to new structures inside and out at State High

As returning students to the new, remodeled building for the State College Area High School become acquainted with their new surroundings, it is a celebratory occasion for the State College community. A great deal of time, thought and money has been invested in updating that high school for today’s students as well as the future students who will follow them. While some additional construction will be continuing, a milestone moment has been reached, and we offer hearty congratulations to all who labored long and hard to bring needed and welcomed improvements to this key educational facility for the young in the community. They are our future!

How wise then it is that the State College Area School District almost simultaneously announced the formal establishment of an “intolerance team” to further implement the district’s Inclusive Excellence Policy, adopted last year. The team’s goal is twofold: to streamline the reporting of acts of discrimination and to promote braod acceptance in the school environment.

At first blush, one might wonder why such a team is needed in a respected school district that sits in the shadow of a world-class research university and enjoys all the benefits — cultural, intellectual and economic — that come along with that. The truth is that the State College area does not live in a bubble. The kinds of issues connected to differences in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and otherwise that dominate much of the national conversation today have also emerged in State College, perhaps the most publicized occurring in 2015 when two State High students wore matching homemade T-shirts flaunting the “N-word.”

Subsequently, youngsters, accompanied and encouraged by respected adult leaders of diverse populations in our community, shared their personal experiences in regard to their differences in several public forums, revealing ugly, petty things that never made the news columns. In one grandfather’s heartfelt words, “This is now the third generation of students in State College experiencing ... (racial slurs)!”

We have been anticipating leadership in the district to address these unacceptable situations in a meaningful and creative way, a 21st-century way that helps students, teachers, school administrators, parents and school board members in their efforts to insure a welcoming and healthy educational environment for all in the schools. It is promising to see that the intolerance team in the State College Area School District is focusing not simply on reporting discriminatory acts, but also is going beyond reporting and discipline to put in place processes to educate offenders and victims in a manner that restores faith in treating everyone, every single person, with dignity and respect. Counselors are receiving training and are sharing what they are learning with others in the district. Refreshingly, it is recognized that open, honest communication is needed to make the kind of progress the district needs and desires.

We applaud the carefully thought-out actions being taken to acknowledge and address intolerance in the schools, and we look forward to more and regular reports of progress being made to insure that our schools are healthy, safe, welcoming places for all youngsters who attend them.

This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Thumb’s up to new structures inside and out at State High."