Thread: Journalism teacher is put on leave

http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/new ... 724181.htm

Fort Worth News

Posted on Tue, May. 24, 2005


Journalism teacher is put on leave

By Amie Streater

Star-Telegram Staff Writer


A journalism teacher at South Hills High School has been put on leave while school district officials look into insensitive comments published in the most recent edition of the student newspaper, the Scorpion Voice.

A feature on page three under the headline "Survey says..." reads: "Look around...what do you see? A diverse school. Great! Hmmm... A survey was conducted on how SHHS feels about our being a Hispanic majority institution. 52 students were interviewed."

The reactions of six students and one teacher are quoted under a photograph of each.

One student, a junior, is quoted as saying, "Hispanics have a high dropout rate and it is making the school look bad."

A sophomore responded, "Too many."

A freshman is quoted as saying, "H.T.B. (Head to the border.)"

The journalism teacher, Amy Nelson, blacked out the "H.T.B." comment with a black marker on most of the papers that were distributed to students Friday, but an unknown number were passed out with the comment visible.

Bobby Whiteside, of the district's Office of Special Investigations, said Nelson was placed on administrative leave Monday while administrators investigate.

Principal Glynna Torres said she did not approve publication of the comments, but she declined to elaborate, calling the issue "a personnel matter."

"This is a great school and we have great kids, but they are kids," Torres said Monday. "This is not a true reflection of this campus or the people here."

Torres released an apology letter from Nelson that read, in part: "The survey was meant to represent all aspects of the question, not to cause anger or incite fighting.

"We retract the survey in its entirety and apologize again for any emotional or psychological upset associated with it."

Torres said there were no problems at the school Friday or Monday.

"The situation is basically over," she said.

The controversy comes at the end of a troubled year for race relations between black and Hispanic students in the Fort Worth school district, including fights at Trimble Tech High School.

"We've had some gang problems this year, and we are a little confused, to say the least, as to why they happen to be black against brown or brown against black," said Valerie Robertson, the district's director of communications. "We try to teach tolerance.


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Amie Streater, (817) 390-7541 astreater@star-telegram.com

"We've had some gang problems this year, and we are a little confused, to say the least, as to why they happen to be black against brown or brown against black," said Valerie Robertson, the district's director of communications. "We try to teach tolerance.

Well now, this TOLERANCE that they're "trying to teach" should really have been clarified.

? Tolerance for people in general?
or
? TOLERANCE FOR LAW BREAKERS?

It would be interesting to see how this DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS would communicate the meaning of TOLERANCE that she was referring to in that statement.