WEST TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– Interim Vigo County Schools Superintendent Tom Balitewicz provided an update on the racial harassment investigation that’s been ongoing for the better part of two months at the Vigo County School Board meeting on Monday.
Several residents raised concerns about a lack of transparency and accountability throughout the process, stemming from racial harassment at West Vigo High School.
After community members spoke up, Balitewicz spent about 10 minutes responding. He said he has spoken with the students who reported the behavior and apologized. He said numerous students were suspended, and others, recommended for expulsion, for “behaviors inconsistent of those expected by students of the Vigo County School Corporation.”
Furthermore, he said the school corporation was administering discipline to current staff members who “did not act responsibility or appropriately” after receiving reports.
Balitewicz then apologized to the community.
“Trust is earned and can easily be lost. Parents trust that while at school, their children will not be exposed to racism. They trust if their child does encounter racism, it will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately,” he said. “I apologize to the greater community because that trust has been compromised. We will need to work hard to rebuild that trust.”
Balitewicz addressed a number of changes VCSC would implement going forward. They include:
- Implementing training for all staff at West Vigo High School that “focuses on responsibility of individuals to report issues of harassment, bullying hazing and racial issues.”
- Putting in racial harassment programming for all staff and students, with an intensive program for the West Vigo Football team.
- Publicly reporting district-wide statistics concerning the number of expulsions, suspensions, arrests and other disciplinary measures at the first board meeting in June.
- Creating a task force that will deal with issues involving race that will include community members outside of the corporation.
Balitewicz said he didn’t want the school corporation to “close this chapter,” but instead, to learn from it.
“I believe that closing the chapter is the problem. The school corporation needs to keep this chapter open,” he said. “We need to read this chapter over and over again so we can continue to reinforce these important lessons.”
Mary Howard-Hamlin was one of the residents who spoke up. She said she believes the community needs to continue to discuss these issues.
“I do hope that these types of questions and issues are brought to the surface. That no one’s afraid to talk about it and address them,” Mary Howard-Hamlin said after the meeting. “And that we all have the courage to stand up to incidents of issues and race and racism, and anti-black racism in the community.”
She said she thought those were good first steps for the community. She also wants to see town halls at every school to allow for more dialogue.
“As Dr. Balitewicz said, we cannot close the chapter, this racism is systemic, it’s going to be here forever, but there is hope if we all work together,” she said.
