April 06, 2024, 03:50 AM
navyshooterMiddle school in liberal Massachusetts town divided
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LinkMiddle school in liberal Massachusetts town divided after white parents accuse minority Christian staff of transphobia - only to be accused of racism
Amherst Regional Middle School has found itself at the center of a toxic war over identity politics
Several staff members were ousted after a report found a culture of fear and intimidation' at the school
The dispute was sparked by an article in the student newspaper which accused staffers of failing to protect trans students
A middle school in an ultra-liberal Massachusetts town has been plunged into chaos after white parents accused minority Christian staffers of transphobia - only to find themselves branded racist.
Amherst Regional Middle School has been accused of fostering a 'culture of fear and intimidation' amid the toxic identity politics war.
The dispute was sparked by complaints officials were not doing enough to protect transgender and non-binary students from bullying by other students and even some staff, the New Yorker reports.
In May, the school's student paper published an article alleging Christian staff at the school had repeatedly misgendered trans children, engaged in 'conversion therapy' and referred to the 'LGBTQ demon' during a prayer meeting.
Tensions have erupted in part due to the fact that the parents of the transgender kids who complained are white, while the staff accused of discriminating against them are black or Hispanic - and Christian.
They've hit back at claims by insisting they're not bigoted and said their accusers are racist - an allegation that strikes deep fear into the hearts of progressive parents.
Shortly after the article was published the mother-of-one trans student requested a Title XI investigation, the law used to prevent discrimination within education.
As a result Hector Santos, who is Latino and Delinda Dykes, who is black were both placed on leave. Both have denied the accusations against them and said they have worked with other LGBTQ+ students without issue.
At the same time, an emergency school-committee meeting was held at he high-school library.
Furious parents demanded an investigation into Michael Morris, the district's white superintendent, and the resignation of Doreen Cunningham, a black woman who was the assistant superintendent and accused of protecting the accused staffers.
At the heated meeting, Cunningham's son was among the few people to defend her.
'For a prime example of how women of color get treated in leadership positions,' he said, 'I say look no further than Amherst public schools.'
He insisted that the issues at the school were 'not about the L.G.B.T.Q.+ situation', but due to tensions within the teaching union and racism.
Transgender audience members and their supporters could be seen rolling their eyes and grimacing. They also clicked their fingers instead of applauding over fears clapping hands causes distress to anyone with sensory issues.
But Cunningham's detractors say she often tried to protect Dykes and Santos, who were both found to have 'engaged in severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive unwelcome conduct' following the Title XI report.
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Middle school in liberal Massachusetts town divided after white parents accuse minority Christian staff of transphobia - only to be accused of racism
By Bethan Sexton For Dailymail.Com
01:44 EDT 06 Apr 2024 , updated 02:27 EDT 06 Apr 2024
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Amherst Regional Middle School has found itself at the center of a toxic war over identity politics
Several staff members were ousted after a report found a culture of fear and intimidation' at the school
The dispute was sparked by an article in the student newspaper which accused staffers of failing to protect trans students
A middle school in an ultra-liberal Massachusetts town has been plunged into chaos after white parents accused minority Christian staffers of transphobia - only to find themselves branded racist.
Amherst Regional Middle School has been accused of fostering a 'culture of fear and intimidation' amid the toxic identity politics war.
The dispute was sparked by complaints officials were not doing enough to protect transgender and non-binary students from bullying by other students and even some staff, the New Yorker reports.
In May, the school's student paper published an article alleging Christian staff at the school had repeatedly misgendered trans children, engaged in 'conversion therapy' and referred to the 'LGBTQ demon' during a prayer meeting.
Tensions have erupted in part due to the fact that the parents of the transgender kids who complained are white, while the staff accused of discriminating against them are black or Hispanic - and Christian.
They've hit back at claims by insisting they're not bigoted and said their accusers are racist - an allegation that strikes deep fear into the hearts of progressive parents.
Amherst Regional Middle School has been plunged into chaos after white parents who accused minority Christian staffers of transphobia were branded racist
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Amherst Regional Middle School has been plunged into chaos after white parents who accused minority Christian staffers of transphobia were branded racist
Assistant superintendent Doreen Cunningham was ousted from her role following a report which found there was a 'culture of fear and intimidation' at the school, where some staff were intimidated into silence through 'fear of being labeled a racist'
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Assistant superintendent Doreen Cunningham was ousted from her role following a report which found there was a 'culture of fear and intimidation' at the school, where some staff were intimidated into silence through 'fear of being labeled a racist'
However, Cunningham's supporters, which included her son seen speaking in her defense at a committee meeting, claimed the transphobic allegations were racially motivated
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View gallery
However, Cunningham's supporters, which included her son seen speaking in her defense at a committee meeting, claimed the transphobic allegations were racially motivated
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Shortly after the article was published the mother-of-one trans student requested a Title XI investigation, the law used to prevent discrimination within education.
As a result Hector Santos, who is Latino and Delinda Dykes, who is black were both placed on leave. Both have denied the accusations against them and said they have worked with other LGBTQ+ students without issue.
At the same time, an emergency school-committee meeting was held at he high-school library.
Furious parents demanded an investigation into Michael Morris, the district's white superintendent, and the resignation of Doreen Cunningham, a black woman who was the assistant superintendent and accused of protecting the accused staffers.
At the heated meeting, Cunningham's son was among the few people to defend her.
'For a prime example of how women of color get treated in leadership positions,' he said, 'I say look no further than Amherst public schools.'
He insisted that the issues at the school were 'not about the L.G.B.T.Q.+ situation', but due to tensions within the teaching union and racism.
Transgender audience members and their supporters could be seen rolling their eyes and grimacing. They also clicked their fingers instead of applauding over fears clapping hands causes distress to anyone with sensory issues.
But Cunningham's detractors say she often tried to protect Dykes and Santos, who were both found to have 'engaged in severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive unwelcome conduct' following the Title XI report.
The dispute was sparked after the school's student paper published an article in May claiming trans students who had complained of being bullied by students and staff were being ignored
+9
View gallery
The dispute was sparked after the school's student paper published an article in May claiming trans students who had complained of being bullied by students and staff were being ignored
Hector Santos was accused of performing 'conversion therapy' at the school, which he denied, he has since left the school
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Hector Santos was accused of performing 'conversion therapy' at the school, which he denied, he has since left the school
Santos was accused of performing 'conversion therapy', while Dykes is said to have prayed against an 'LGBT demon 'that wants to confuse our children' and 'handed out chocolate crucifixes'.
At the time the allegations surfaced, Attorney Ryan McLane, who was representing them said they didn't do anything wrong and described them as 'faithful, Bible-believing Christians.
However, the Title XI investigation described a 'culture of fear and intimidation' at the school, where some staff were intimidated into silence through 'fear of being labeled a racist.'
It also concluded on at least one occasion, Cunningham had engaged in retaliation against an employee who complained about Dykes.
The assistant superintendent was hired by Morris off the back of a series of racism scandals in the district, which had been aggravated by his hiring as a white man.
So when he took the role, Morris was keen to restore some faith and introduced a new administrative position, assistant superintendent of diversity, equity, and human resources.
The DEI-focused position aligned with Morris' view that improving racial diversity among Amherst faculty was 'a civil-rights issue for our kids,' and he selected Cunningham for the role.
Cunningham's efforts saw the number of black and Hispanic staff swell - but despite initial support from parents, the atmosphere soon grew rancorous.
'There was a lot of racism in the district,' Cunningham told the New Yorker. 'And I came, and a lot of people of color started to feel safe, not because they thought that I would not hold them accountable but because they knew that somebody would hopefully understand where they were coming from.'
She introduced a new hiring system designed to boost the number of staffers of color in Amherst schools, successfully taking the number from 20 percent to 34 percent by 2023.
However, she was accused of occasionally overruling her own process to have the final say - an allegation she has strongly refuted.
More at the link
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