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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 01261993 - S.4 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra ' FROM: SUPERVISOR TOM TORLAKSON Costa� � '' ' County `bye:._.�►.'� DATE: JANUARY 26, 1993 SUBJECT: REVIEW OF COUNTY-WIDE -POLICIES ON ANTI-DISCRIMINATION AND ANTI-SEXUAL HARASSMENT. SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)i BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMNIMED ACTION: Request that Board of Supervisors' Education Committee, the Human Relations Committee and the City-County Relations Committee conduct a thorough review of our .county' s anti-discrimination and anti-sexual harassment policy and procedures with a focus on strengthening these policies. The Education committee and the Human Relations Committee and City-County Relations Committee should review these same policies and ask other entities to review their policies with the intention to reduce the incidents of racial slurs -- hateful or . discriminatory comments in the workplace or in educational institutions such as schools and any facility with custodial responsibility of children. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: I have become increasingly aware of the use of racial slurs in our county. This is potentially an extremely serious situation and can have a negative impact on the self-esteem on the persons who are the object of these comments and on the relationships between groups from different ethnic backgrounds in our communities. These negative comments have no place in the workplace or in our educational institutions. To keep these incidents from spreading in our communities, we need to be sure that there are adequate policies in place to deal with this intolerable situation. - I CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER i SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON 7 ` 73 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED _X OTHER Superviso Torlakson reviewed the above recommendation. Olivia Moritz, Chair of the Human Relations Commission, told of some instances of hate and harassment brought to, her attention, and advised of the workshop planned for early Spring relating to community unrest and solutions. Supervisor McPeak noted that she and Supervisor Torlakson had volunteered their employees to help staff the Humans Relations Commission after the budget reductions last year. She invited other District Offices to do likewise. Supervisors Powers, Bishop and Smith all offered the help of their staff persons to assist. Supervisor McPeak commented that the County still has the requirement for employees to take harassment training classes. Supervisor Torlakson offered to work with the County Administrator and go to Department Heads to talk about implementing policies within their departments. The Board APPROVED the above recommendations. I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT— - + AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. CC: County Administrator ATTESTED PHIL dTCHELOR,CL RK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMJNISTRATOR I I M382 (10186) BY .DEPOT I RECEIVED JAN a!1P(`,!_ Jan. 18 , 1993 �i ... Mr. Alan Newell Superintendent Antioch Unified School District 510 G St. Antioch, CA 94509 Dear Mr . Newell : My 9-year-old son has been called "nigger" at school , for the second time in less than one month. This is the third racial slur he has had to endure during the same time period . Something must be done . And while on-site administrators must address this extremely serious issue, so must those who determine policy for these on-site administrators . This is a direly critical issue which needs immediate attention. Disuptions which prevent a child from learning must not be allowed to occur. This is wrong . This is an injustice which no child need tolerate. It is the obligation of the teacher , the assistant principal , the principal , the superintendent, the school board and each person who mandates district policy to guarantee no child be subjected to such verbage. Perhaps , you say, the majority of children realize the repulsiveness of racial slurs . They know it is intolerable and unacceptable, you say. Then we must address that vicious and ignorant minority who do not . That minority who no doubt learn from their caretakers that it is permissible to be.. a racist and to use derogatory, demeaning words with the intent to hurt and to belittle. Please , imagine yourself a fourth-grader, who has this word constantly slung in your face in an environment you spend the bulk of your day, from the classroom to the playground . Better yet , picture your 9- year-old son or daughter in the place of a child who is consistently and intentionally degraded at every turn by one classmate or the other . Now, then, imagine the evil occurring is the most outrageous , vicious , shocking and offensive degradation possible. Believe me, sir , even then you cannot affect the same pain and hurt my son experiences . This is deply offensive, injurious and damaging . It is slanderous . I shudder to think where my child might be mentally were it not for the love, support and strong family foundation provided by his brother, father and myself. Mr . Newell , the time to address this issue has come and past . The time to act is now. Certainly, racism and racist remarks are not unique to my son ' s school , nor are these reprehensible remarks made only to him. Most assuredly other African American children encounter these same backward , ignorant attitudes and words which began with i i Ash ` Ke Two the advent of this word "nigger" some 400 years ago. It is time to arrest this type of banter and ridicule. It is time to teach the children better. Children must know there are repercussions which will be enforced when such an atrocious word is thrown at any child . Children must know the result of using such slurs will be stronger than a tap on the hand, stronger than a verbal reprimand or a week of detention. I ask you why must the child who sincerely desires, to reach for knowledge be subjected to such an outrage. He should not . If children come to school to ridicule, to belittle, to harm others they should not be there. They must know school is not the place to do this. My child , no child should be reluctant to enter a place he should anticipate attending. Guns and knives are reasons for suspension and expulsion. So, too, must be such insensitive verbal onslaughts . Children must know this. They must know what will not be tolerated . When such harm is allowed to prevail , the result is brutal and appalling behavior like that shown against Rodney King. In too many instances racism is not addressed . It simply is not dealt with. Incidents s.uch as these with my son, occur and are treated much too lightly. As a result children do' not realize the severity of their actions . While you cannot control what is instilled in a child at home, you can influence what a child - learns at school . I suggest schools start with an early intervention program. The emphasis should be on one race, the human race, bigotry, discrimination, what happens when it is allowed to persist and who it hurts . Children need to role play, learn about other ethnic cultures . They must know at an early age that because the next child is fat or thin, big or small, black, brown or white , has round eyes or slanted , does not make him or her any more or less of a person or a human being. Children need to know none of these factors make one person superior or inferior. This , Mr. Newell, is critical. The very same passion a 5-year-old feels about not destroying his environment, about not smoking, about not taking' drugs , he or she should feel about equality for his fellow man and woman. This early ,, intervention has to start with the children and it has to start now. But it must not end with children. This intervention must continue with more teachers who mirror the diversity of the world in which we live. And both teachers of color and those of non color need to know what is expected of them in terms of instilling the values of diversity in each and every child . More importantly, they must be taught how to do it and then follow through. age Three As a citizen and a taxpayer I feel it is your responsibility to confront the problem head on. I anxiously await a response that will benefit all children in the Antioch Unified School District. Sincerely, Rub S oane l Y /rsm c: Ron Stewart Tom Torlakson-/ David Madrigal Rebecca Knapp Debbie Sterud Roger Henry Mno Grant Roger Kuehn 01 C1ay .Kallam \ �b Michael Gayles \ I