The Source is currently working this story for publication in the Nov. 17 print edition. Stay tuned for the latest.
Students at High Desert Middle School in Bend are reporting a number of racial incidents, seemingly prompted by the outcome of the recent presidential election.
While the administration at Bend-La Pine Schools has not confirmed or denied the facts of the cases, our sources report at least two incidents that took place on or after Nov. 9.
In one incident, reports are several middle schoolers held another student’s hands back, threw sticks at the boy and tossed water on him.
In another incident, students reportedly told Latino students to “go back to Mexico” and made other racially-charged slurs.
High Desert was on lockdown the day after the stick incident and students kept from outdoor recess due to safety concerns. Teachers had discussions in each classroom about civility and tolerance, said a Bend-La Pine district spokesperson. Meanwhile, several students were reportedly suspended and/or expelled as a result of the incidents, though the district has not confirmed that.
The district did issue a statement, which included the following:
“Students who are found to be in violation of district policies and our code of conduct will be subject to discipline, up to and including expulsion,” said Julianne Repman, Director of Communication and Safety at Bend-La Pine Schools and Regional Director of School Safety for the High Desert Education Service District. “We are focused on providing a welcoming environment where every student feels safe at school.”
As a middle school serving students in the dual immersion language program, High Desert Middle School is home to a growing Spanish-speaking population.
*Editors note: The Source has continued to update this story as more details have been made available. Details in the 11/12 version of this story, regarding reports of urinating and handcuffing another student, have been found to be exaggerated.
This is a developing story. If you have information related to the incidents, please contact editor@bendsource.com
This article appears in Nov 9-16, 2016.
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Thank you for reporting this story that everyone else has chosen to ignore. Even in our idyllic community, we are not immune to racism.
I understand that the school district has a policy of protecting students when incidents happen. However, it is irresponsible for the district to mask the severity of the incident and report only that racial slurs happened. The public has a right to know about the incident, not to punish any parents or students, but so that that we can come together as a community to address it and therein protect our children from becoming victims. The school district also has an obligation to take a strong leadership role and to publicly denounce this type of behavior so that it does not happen again.
As a teacher who was in attendance at the Veterans day event at Bend High School, I take issue with your reporting on this story. There was absolutely no chanting or disrespectful behavior at the assembly. Obviously, the person quoted in your article was not there. If he had been, I think he would have been impressed by our students’ conduct and moved by the tribute to the many veterans honored that day. The staff at our school works hard to maintain a safe, caring and accepting culture. While emotions have run high,like they have nationwide, this kind of inaccurate reporting only serves to pour gas on the fire.
Dido — Thank you for your comments. We understand that teachers and staff are working hard to teach tolerance, as they do year-round. We are continually puzzled, however, at the district’s reticence in telling us the facts about this series of events, but we stand behind the facts reported here.
As for information about the Veteran’s Event, it is not included in this blog post. Did you read this story before commenting?