Colorado State Rep. calls for more education after racist picture shared from Harrison High School
Michael Logerwell
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – The controversy around a racist photo taken by students at Harrison High School is reaching the statehouse.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Harrison High students disciplined for photo that classmates claim showed racial slur
“I just sat back in my chair, and my mouth just dropped open. Like, what in the actual heck is going on here?” Colorado Springs Representative Regina English told KRDO13.
Representative English was shocked when a parent sent her the image of Harrison High School students holding up balloons arranged to spell the n-word, with one letter missing. She said she then went to her colleagues in the house, and they all shared the same response: shock.
Then on Thursday, the representative went to social media.
However, on Wednesday, School District 2 Leaders responded to the incident publicly.
In an email sent to Harrison Families, Superintendent Dr. Wendy Birhanzel wrote to families in an email, “Hate speech, racial slurs, and any form of discrimination have no place at Harrison High School,” and added, “In addition to discipline, the school is taking steps to ensure this becomes a learning opportunity. We are committed to reinforcing expectations around respect and inclusion, and will engage students in restorative practices to help build understanding, empathy, and accountability.”
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Chris Page agreed to an on-camera interview with KRDO13 earlier in the week.
“Whether they intended it one way or another, it was taken a different way. And so, it’s our responsibility to make sure we not only educate those students, but we find a way and a plan to move forward effectively,” Dr. Paige said on Wednesday.
KRDO13 asked Rep. English if she thought the district’s announcement that the students are being held accountable went far enough.
“Well, like I said, there’s always going to be room for growth. There’s always space, an opportunity to do more,” Rep. English responded.
She said it starts with the bullet points she posted on her social media:
A full public acknowledgment of the racial harm caused
Transparent accountability measures
A public community meeting with district leadership
Meaningful restorative participation from the students involved
Concrete action to address racial climate and student safety within the district
“I just think we need to create, like I said, ways and opportunities to come together as a collective and have conversations about what harm looks like to each other and how we can really treat each other with dignity and respect,” Rep. English said.
On Friday, School District 2 pushed back on the social media stir, in response to accusations they leadership didn’t do enough.
“Earlier this week, we did provide an interview with KRDO to address the situation and share the information we were able to under FERPA laws. Right now, our focus is on supporting the school community and continuing to work through the matter internally, so we are not scheduling additional interviews today.
We understand there has been ongoing discussion on social media, including commentary from Representative English and other individuals who may not have seen the full reporting or complete context of the situation. Our priority remains addressing the matter thoughtfully, factually, and in a way that supports students and staff. To be clear, the school and the district have never suggested that the country of Niger played a role in the situation, and the students are being held accountable for their behavior.
If there are any significant updates we can share, we will provide additional information at the appropriate time. We appreciate your understanding.”