‘We are outraged, ’ Kansas City area principal says after slavery petition circulates
The principal at Park Hill South High School expressed outrage after a student, or students, circulated a racist petition calling to bring back slavery.
“We are outraged, hurt and saddened that this occurred,” Principal Kerrie Herren said in a statement to the student body Friday. “This is not who we want to be at Park Hill South. Our differences make us stronger. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment.”
Last year, Herren asked members of the Park Hill South volleyball team to take off warm-up t-shirts that said “together we rise,” The Star’s editorial team reported. The shirts were a symbol of racial equity and inclusion. Herren later apologized.
Herren called the petition “unacceptable,” and added that “the impact of these sentiments are being felt heavily within our school.”
The Park Hill School District has shared few specifics about the incident, which originated at the high school last week.
Nicole Kirby, a district spokeswoman, said Tuesday that the matter is considered a “discipline incident” and therefore the amount of information the district may share is limited, including the number of students involved or the exact details of what transpired.
Kirby said there are board policies in place with defined consequences for harassment, including racial harassment, and the district is following those rules. In the days since the incident came to light, Kirby said Park Hill has been doing “a lot of listening” with parents and students.
Terri Deayon, director of access, inclusion and family engagement for the Park Hill district, said listening tours are being made through the schools intended to assist students impacted. She said the important move forward is to derive from those conversations ways to “heal from this” and become “better in the end.”
Parents in the Park Hill School District are asking for accountability for the student or students who circulated the petition.
This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 10:49 AM.
