School Officials Must Do More in Yorktown High School Yearbook Controversy
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
A recent issue of the Yorktown News had an article titled “Yorktown HS yearbooks printed with anti-Israel slogan.”
Although the hateful slogan was discovered three weeks ago, and the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Hattar, knew about it and discussed it in a letter dated June 5, the incident was not widely known in the community until the article was printed.
Unfortunately, this is not a one-off. When my daughter went to French Hill School, the principal refused to allow the Jewish kids to have a lighted menorah next to the lighted Christmas tree. Similarly, the high school principal refused the Jewish students’ request to have a lighted menorah next to the lighted Christmas tree. In both instances, the then-superintendent of schools immediately and publicly intervened and overruled the principals.
According to the article, school officials said that they cannot comment, as a matter of law, on whether or not the student was disciplined. I am not sure about the law, but I believe the discipline can be discussed without naming the student. If the student is a graduating senior, the student should have been expelled prior to graduation or barred from the graduation ceremony. The faculty adviser(s) and editor(s) also have some responsibility. Have they been disciplined? The silence of the school board is deafening!
If the offending student is heading off to college, have letters of recommendation been rescinded?
Finally, has the superintendent referred the incident to law enforcement for investigation as potential aggravated harassment with a possible hate crime endorsement? An investigation must be conducted by law enforcement to determine motivation and intent. The investigation cannot be conducted by the school district, which will only result in a circle-the-wagons mentality.
I do not believe that this is a “teachable moment.” I believe that this incident requires significant discipline and possibly a criminal referral.
Jay Kopstein
Yorktown Heights
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