BATAVIA, N.Y. — A mother is speaking out after her son, and his classmates discovered a racial slur written on insulation at a house where BOCES students were working. Amanda Conway’s son attends the Genesee Valley BOCES campus and is part of an electrical class.
Students from different classes have been working on building a house as part of their training. Conway said her son and a group of friends found the racial slur while working at the house. The slur was allegedly written by a student from the building trades class, not her son’s electrical class.
“They had to go find their teacher and tell them and their teacher was really upset,” Conway said. “My son said he had his hand on his head and he was really angry.” Conway questioned the level of supervision at the work site. She pointed out that students are working with equipment like blow torches.
“If that was put into the insulation, where is the direct supervision?” Conway said. “There’s no supervision, nobody to hold the kids accountable for what they’re doing.” Conway said she called the school after learning about the incident.
School officials told her they were investigating and taking the situation seriously. However, Conway said the school’s response fell short. She gave the school more than 24 hours to release a statement, but none came.
“They knew kids are going to be coming home, telling their parents about what happened at school,” Conway said. “Instead, they chose to stay quiet, which to me means they want to handle it quietly.” Conway said the school immediately notifies parents when there is a lockdown for situations like medical emergencies.
She believes this incident deserved the same level of communication. “In order for things to change, we need an open dialogue,” Conway said. “This should be bringing parents, administrators together to be figuring out what is going on and what we can do to change situations like this from happening.”
Conway said she posted about the incident on social media, and learned the student involved is from the Pembroke school district.
Conway said she heard from numerous parents of biracial and African-American children who have pulled their kids out of school to homeschool them or transfer to another district.
“People shouldn’t have to move for their kids to be safe at school,” Conway said. Conway said she debated whether to speak publicly about the incident. She worried about putting a target on her family’s back. “The more I hear and the more people stay quiet, nothing is ever going to change,” Conway said.
“I have a four-year-old at home and I have a 10-year-old, and I don’t want them to deal with situations like this when they’re older and in school.” Conway is calling for the school to improve communication with parents when incidents like this occur.
She wants parents included in conversations about preventing similar situations. “Kids are not born to hate each other,” Conway said. “This is a learned behavior.” Conway said she does not blame the BOCES campus for the incident. She believes it reflects the values taught at home by the parents of students who engage in such behavior.
News10NBC did reach out to Genesee Valley BOCES, it’s full statement can be seen below.
Genesee Valley BOCES is aware of an act of vandalism that was reported. The incident remains under investigation. Once all information has been reviewed, any consequences and/or disciplinary actions will be handled in accordance with our policies and privacy laws. Genesee Valley BOCES finds this act very disturbing. We work diligently daily to be inclusive and value all students.
Mother of BOCES student speaks out after racial slur found in insulation at Batavia campus construction site WHEC.com.
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