Report by Paula Antolini, July 3, 2020, 8:08AM EDT
Jacqueline Chiappetta graduated from Bethel High School (BHS) in 2015 but along with other alumni and present students of Bethel Public Schools (BPS), she still cares what happens there regarding racial injustice and accountability. She is has now formed a crusade with others, seeking justice and reform.
On June 15, 2020, Ms. Chiappetta wrote a letter to Bethel Public Schools and the Bethel Board of Education. She stated, in part, “I am writing this letter to you advocating for affirmative actions and reform to be taken within the Bethel Public School system. As you are aware, there is a national (some might say global) movement currently going on in our society regarding the recent events of racial injustice that Black Americans, along with many other minority groups, are facing. What is even more disturbing than seeing systemic racism in our society is the fact that heinous racial injustices have occurred within our own public school system. This was primarily brought to light during the Black Lives Matter rally that was held in our town on June 7, 2020 on the lawn of the Municipal Center.”
The letter went on to name specific teachers and administrators allegedly who, “exhibited racism towards fellow minority students and alumni during their time within the Bethel public school system, Chiappetta said, “As a white alumni, I can wholeheartedly say how disappointed and disgusted I am to learn of what has been endured by my fellow alumni and students within our school system.”
The letter also included 10 “testimonies” from alumni or present Bethel Public Schools students allegedly regarding “a few instances of racial injustice within the Bethel Public School system that alumni and current students have faced and are facing,” referring to some statements that were made at the June 7th Bethel “OCCUPY GREENWOOD, Black Lives Matter” protest and additional “testimonies.”
Finally, the letter included a list of “demands/requests from members of the Bethel community per the Black Lives Matter rally on June 7, 2020.”
(View letter in full at the bottom of this page.)
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Ms. Chiappetta also decided to create a petition about 2 weeks ago entitled, “Silence is Violence: Racial Injustice Accountability within Bethel, CT Public Schools.” The petition already has 463 signatures of the 500 goal.
Chiappetta wrote a similar message in the petition as in the letter to Carver. View petition HERE.
Ms. Chiappetta addressed the petition to Dr. Christine Carver, Superintendent of Bethel Public Schools, Bethel First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker, the Bethel Board of Education, and CT State Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan.
In over 2 weeks only Dr. Carver has replied to Ms. Chiapetta’s inquiries, Chiappetta told the Bethel Advocate, and that she did not hear back from First Selectman Knickerbocker or State Rep. Allie Brennan at all.
Ms. Chiappetta said she received 2 emails from Dr. Carver and spoke to her on the phone. However, Carver would only discuss matters, during their conversation, pertaining to topics in the letter Carver sent to her (view letter below), Chiappetta told the Bethel Advocate. Carver would not discuss any of the alleged specific racist treatment Bethel students received, or individuals allegedly responsible, as brought up at the recent Bethel “OCCUPY GREENWOOD, Black Lives Matter” protest and detailed in Chiappetta’s letter to Carver, Chiappetta said.
In her letter, Chiappetta wrote, in part, “At the rally there were numerous alumni and current Bethel students that spoke out about the racist sentiments, actions, and words that they have experienced from their peers as well as teachers/staff within our schools. Teachers, administrators, etc. were mentioned by name by students for their wrongful treatment of these minority students, particularly Black students. As a white alumni, I can wholeheartedly say how disappointed and disgusted I am to learn of what has been endured by my fellow alumni and students within our school system.“
Instead of discussing these issues, Carver sent Chiappetta a letter, before their realtime meeting face-to-face, that was to be a guide for their discussion, Chiappetta said.
The letter sent to Chiappetta was the same exact letter sent to “Parents, Guardians, Students, Staff and Community Members” on June 16, 2020, in which Carver listed 20 items, and it read, in part, “Bethel Public Schools has implemented the following actions in the last several years to address issues around equity, systemic racism and unconscious bias.” Below that, was another list of 12 more items in which Carver said they are “committed to continue this work” after “meeting with several graduates and listening to feedback.” A closing paragraph reads, “We want to reiterate, we acknowledge that we can do more to ensure we are not unconsciously reinforcing systems which promote racism or discrimination of any protected groups.“
Ms. Chiappetta told the Bethel Advocate not much has happened to change anything after her initial conversation with Dr. Carver.
In her most recent update on her petition dated June 29, 2020, Chiappetta wrote:
“Hello all, here is the latest thoughts/updates on our movement.
“Although the BLM movement towards racial injustice isn’t completely covering our social media feeds anymore, there is still so much work to be done. Protests/rallies are still going on across our country, people are still being racially profiled, people still have to worry about their children in the streets due to police brutality, etc. There is much more to be done, and our town and school system needs to do better. I haven’t had much contact with our school system after my initial conversation with the Superintendent of our public schools. I do know that there is another petition going around asking for black/Latino course and history to be mandatory in our system since European history is mandatory in the curriculum. Besides this there hasn’t been much traction or communication to what our town and the school system will or can do better.“
Chiappetta went on to mention a racial incident that happened during the drive-in outdoor Bethel High School 2020 graduation:
“As mentioned above, our town needs to do better. A couple weeks ago our town held a drive-in high school graduation that was set to be live-streamed for people to watch since the event was limited capacity due to the virus going around. Once the stream began the connected live chat was bombarded with racial comments and slurs towards African American individuals and thus the chat and entire livestream was taken down. Family members and friends that were not the event were not able to view the graduation virtually anymore due to the ignorance of the individual. Our town officials haven’t given an update on how this investigation has gone in hopes of finding the individual that made these comments and ruined the graduation event.“
Chiappetta’s final thoughts were:
“We cannot continue to sweep things under the carpet in hopes of people forgetting that they happened. We need to continue to use our voices and take action for change to come. Please continue to share this petition, even if we can reach 500 signatures that would be a great success for our small town and show the support of many people in the community and all over that have supported this cause and petition.”
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View Jacqueline Chiappetta’s June 15, 2020 letter below:
June 15, 2020
Bethel Public Schools – Board of Education
1 School Street, P.O. Box 253
Bethel, CT 06801
(203) 794-8601
Dear Bethel Board of Education,
My name is Jacqueline Chiappetta and I am an alumni of the Bethel Public School system. I graduated from Bethel High School in 2015 after spending all of my educational years in the Bethel, CT school system. I am writing this letter to you advocating for affirmative actions and reform to be taken within the Bethel Public School system.
As you are aware, there is a national (some might say global) movement currently going on in our society regarding the recent events of racial injustice that Black Americans, along with many other minority groups, are facing. What is even more disturbing than seeing systemic racism in our society is the fact that heinous racial injustices have occurred within our own public school system. This was primarily brought to light during the Black Lives Matter rally that was held in our town on June 7, 2020 on the lawn of the Municipal Center.
At the rally there were numerous alumni and current Bethel students that spoke out about the racist sentiments, actions, and words that they have experienced from their peers as well as teachers/staff within our schools. Teachers, administrators, etc. were mentioned by name for their wrongful treatment of these minority students, particularly Black students. As a white alumni, I can wholeheartedly say how disappointed and disgusted I am to learn of what has been endured by my fellow alumni and students within our school system.
As I said above, there were numerous faculty members that were mentioned by current and past students. The faculty members were addressed by name, and I would like to also highlight who these educators were; as well as, the particular instances where they exhibited racism towards fellow minority students and alumni during their time within the Bethel public school system.
The educators that were mentioned are as follows: Richard Baumer, Brian Watson, Brad Ritchie, Michele Carpentier, Lt. Commander Mark Dwinnels, Officer Matthew DiRago, and the BHS secretarial staff in the main office.
Below are just a few instances of racial injustice within the Bethel Public School system that alumni and current students have faced and are facing. These occurrences are shining light on how minority students are being treated within our hallways all while other students and teachers are talking about kindness but singling out others while doing so. These are some of the experiences heard around our community.
Initial Testimonies:
- During the Black Lives Matter rally in our town a current student in BHS spoke out about a racial slur that they were called by a fellow peer. The racial slur was targeted towards the African American student and when they went to report it to the administration they shrugged it off and said it would be the same as a white student being called a “rice cake”. The lack of action or accountability that the administration took for the student saying racial slurs was neglectful and goes against everything that we advocate for in our school system (aka kindness, anti-bullying, equality, etc.). Being called a racial slur is not equivalent to anything because as white individuals we will never know what it is like to be on the receiving end of such vulgar statements.
- During the Black Lives Matter rally another current student in BHS spoke out about how she was attempting to advocate for Black History Month. The student explained how they tried to go talk to the administration of the school by going through the secretarial staff who then gave the black students attitude on numerous occasions. The student was trying to have lessons on Black History Month throughout the month of February to raise awareness and insight on African American history in our country. Black history is vital to our country’s history and should be taught in all curricula. You cannot teach black history in a 30-minute advisory period when there is an entire month dedicated to it.
- Monique Agoora, who has recently spoken out about challenges she faced while going through the BPS system, is a BHS graduate of 2013. Monique directly cited an instance that another RMT Johnson student from the past talked about with her; one of the district’s music teachers made remarks dating back to when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 occurred and there was no accountability taken. The music teacher insinuated that people that were not white were responsible for terrorist attacks. Monique also boldly spoke about how this particular music teacher would just blatantly bully students of color and attempted to do this to her as well but was shut down by Monique’s mother when she was picking her up from school one day.
- Monique Agoora also shined light on what she witnessed on Halloween at BHS during her sophomore year. She talked about how she saw a senior walk into school that morning who was dressed as Lil Wayne. The student was dressed in a white tank top, dreadlocks, beanie hat, sunglasses, and painted his white face brown. Nothing was said to this student regarding their costume, but yet faculty feel the need to track down female students for having too thin of straps on their tank tops (which I have personally witnessed). The priorities are misplaced here.
- Malcolm Williams, a recent alumni of BHS, graduated and is the class of 2018. He shared numerous occasions where he was singled out because of the color of his skin. There was a time when he was a senior in BHS and was repeatedly called down to the main office and was considered “uncooperative and upset” when he would give simple answers to questions. Another instance where he faced micro-aggression was when a teacher spoke down to him ordering him to leave a classroom when he had permission to be there. Malcolm was visibly upset by this and yet the teacher told the administration that he was making a scene, rather than just reacting to being called out for no reason by the teacher. This same teacher also tried to ignore Malcolm and some of his friends after a pep rally one day. The teacher saw them waiting outside the band room, opened the door, and he, along with Malcolm and his friends, all walked in. During this encounter Malcolm and his friends said hello to the teacher and he blatantly ignored them. The teacher then proceeded to accuse the students of being in the room without permission and continuously asked them to leave. It was as if this teacher was treating Malcolm through micro-aggression rather than compassion and kindness on every occasion that he encountered Malcolm.
Additional Testimonies (as of 6/18/20):
- An alumni told an experience of when they first moved into the BPS system and was called a minority slur while in elementary school by an adult in the school. The stereotypes from others started while the student was young, showing just how little respect students of minorities were being given.
- Yoselyn Gomez, an alumni from the class of 2015, spoke of an experience when a music teacher would constantly make fun of people of color in their class. This caused Yoselyn to feel as though the administration wouldn’t take any action on this and that she wasn’t accepted by adults within the school because she was a minority student. This incident also led to Yoselyn beginning to just put her head down and study hard so that teachers wouldn’t have a reason to stereotype her.
- Yoselyn Gomez, class of 2015, also spoke of going through high school while the male students would walk around as if they were better than her, almost treating her as if she was a bug, tiny and insignificant. This also aligns with how bullying has become a significant problem within BHS. There are anti-bullying lessons and talks often but when it does happen it doesn’t seem to be taken as seriously as it should be.
- There was an instance between two alumnis where one would complain that people of color or minority had greater chances of getting into college and that being white was at their disadvantage but in reality the minority alumni “had lived at the disadvantage [my] entire life”. Comments like those stated would be said in public and not one teacher would say anything to the white alumni, even when political comments such as “building a wall” or “deportation of immigrants” so that minority immigrants couldn’t enter the country, no one would say anything to this student to stop him. This student did tend to be able to stay whatever they wanted without having any accountability. It also seemed as though this white alumni was treated different than other students because of how outspoken and advanced he thought he was than everybody else. This shows that there needs to be more awareness of what is going on within the walls of our school as well as accountability because it is racial injustice, but also aligns with bullying.
- Yoselyn Gomez, class of 2015, lastly shared her experience of going through the counseling office in BHS miserable because her counselor encouraged her to just apply to community colleges. This implied that Yoselyn didn’t have a chance to get into any “good” schools after high school. Implying this to any student just gives off the impression that the school wants their numbers to look good and it also hinders students from following their dreams or aspirations after graduating.
All of the above instances of racial injustice are just a few of the reasons why there needs to be accountability for faculty members within the walls of our public school system. For a school system and town that preaches about kindness, it seems that this kindness has restrictions for who it applies to. For a town that is usually roaring with pride at sporting events, concerts, etc. there was a lull of silence that swept our community once minority students started speaking up about the injustice they face. For a school system that speaks out against bullying and treating others differently based on how they look, there seems to be an exception for racism.
On the Bethel Public Schools’s website, there is a nondiscrimination statement that reads, “The Bethel Public Schools do not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by law”. This statement needs to be used to hold accountability for those who have acted otherwise in terms of discrimination within the walls of our school system that we are taught to trust.
The following are demands/requests from members of the Bethel community per the Black Lives Matter rally on June 7, 2020:
- Hold all faculty and teachers accountable for their discriminatory and racist actions that have been brought to the public and communities attention over the past few weeks.
- Make a public statement signed by the Board of Education, Superintendent, and school principals against racism and police brutality. The statement should also include their commitment to promoting inclusivity and acceptance of all within their schools.
- Change the curricula of all of the schools in order to accurately depict and discuss racism as well as Black History, especially during Black History Month.
- Employ a more diverse faculty that includes more minority teachers teaching in our school system, especially African American teachers.
- Implement annual anti-bias training for teachers and faculty so that they can learn how to approach students of different backgrounds fairly, rather than using their personal views to do so.
- Employ more social workers and counselors throughout the school system for students to have access to at all times throughout the school day.
The above demands/requests are just the beginning of striving towards a more inclusive school system. Accountability, diversity, as well as change are all ways that the Bethel Public Schools can show that they do not condone racism and the recent events that have occurred in society, as well as in our own school system.
There is one last thing that I want to leave on your mind. Politics and religion are not allowed in school because they are opinionated, but racism is not an opinion and needs to be discussed factually to all students. Please take some action on this.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Chiappetta ‘15
***This letter and its action items were inspired by calls to action that were publicly acknowledged at the Black Lives Matter rally that was held on June 7, 2020 and was further put together by the following people and those with direct experiences in our school system:
Ismail Labrador
Monique Agoora ‘13
Haylee Alves ‘15
Jennifer Eaton ‘15
Yoselyn Gomez ‘15
Kendall Meenan ‘16
Feryal Syed ‘17
Malcolm Williams ‘18
Copy of Chiappetta letter:
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View Dr. Carver’s June 16, 2020 letter below:
June 16, 2019
Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff, Students and Community Members,
As you are aware, on June 5th, the district issued a statement condemning the death of George Floyd and
systemic racism in our nation, state and acknowledgement of issues in our own school system.
For the past two-three years we have publicly acknowledged and set district goals to address the issues of equity, systemic racism and unconscious bias in our school system. We wanted to provide an overview of what the district has worked on over the past several years and the critical work that we will engage in to create a culture which supports inclusion and teaching and learning that reflects all of our students. We acknowledge that the work we have done is not enough and will continue to implement change in practice moving forward.
The Bethel Public Schools has implemented the following actions in the last several years to address issues around equity, systemic racism and unconscious bias:
- Elimination of level 3 classes at Bethel High School which were disproportionately represented by students of color.
- Enhanced accessibility to Advanced Placement courses for any students, with an emphasis on
ensuring minority representation in those courses. - Expanded our District Safe School Climate Committee to discuss and include issues of systemic racism in our schools.
- Development and distribution of our District Safe School Climate Plan to deliberately include policy
around hate speech and racial incidents and bias. - Partnered with the Anti Defamation League to offer the No Place for Hate program at Bethel High School and a Step Up! program at Bethel Middle School which addresses inclusivity and
unconscious bias. - Developed and implemented school wide assemblies and advisories on issues related to systemic racism and unconscious bias.
- Expanded our Peer Leadership group at Bethel High School to ensure representation of students of color.
- Trained high school Peer Leaders in facilitation of advisories around equity and race issues.
- Anonymous surveying of our students and parents around issues of inclusion and race and using that information in our climate planning.
- Instituting Restorative Practices, grades Johnson-BHS district wide.
- Holding students and staff accountable for any known acts of hate speech, unconscious bias and/or discriminatory behavior (all schools).
- Examining discipline data by race to ensure that we are not disproportionately disciplining students of color and making adjustments to our practice (all schools).
- Conducting an administrative book study on white privilege, systemic racism and unconscious bias (Waking Up White, by Debby Irving)
- Enhancing resources of our English Learners, to provide increased academic support by certified
teachers (all schools) . - Continuing to support our parent group of our English Learners to provide resources for families (all schools).
- Providing professional learning opportunities for our certified staff in supporting English Learners.
- Ensuring high expectations of all of our students, including our English Learners and students of
color (all schools). - Examining curriculum and making adjustments to resources which reflect all races, religions and
cultures. - Bethel Board of Education created a separate ad hoc committee on civility and inclusion.
- We were scheduled to attend SERC’s Dismantling Systemic Racism conference in the Spring of
2020, but it was cancelled due to COVID-19.
In meeting with several graduates and listening to feedback, we are committed to continue this work to include: - Implementing equity strategies as part of our new Strategic Plan.
- Attend SERC’s Dismantling Systemic Racism conference when it reopens after the pandemic.
- Creating a formal group for students of color, providing a safe space, to focus on issues of concern and on empowerment.
- Creating a vertical mentoring system for students of color.
- Creating and implementing a professional learning program for staff on systemic racism,
unconscious bias and implications for teaching and learning (all schools). - Engage in a book study this summer, offered to all staff, utilizing the resource White Fragility: Why
it is so hard for white people to talk about racism, by Robin Diangelo. - Providing training for our counseling staff on cultural competence (all schools).
- Training all Berry and Rockwell Schools in Restorative Practices.
- As part of our curriculum revision process, make sure that there is equal representation of resources which reflect all races, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds.
- Ensuring our curriculum explicitly teaches the role of systemic racism and unconscious bias in our history: looks to balance european history with all other cultures and races; and uplifts people of color as contributors to our collective identity, not only as an oppressed group.
- Implementation of a Black and Latino course at Bethel High School.
- Implementing specific strategies to recruit certified faculty members of color as part of our Strategic Plan.
We want to reiterate, we acknowledge that we can do more to ensure we are not unconsciously reinforcing
systems which promote racism or discrimination of any protected groups. If you have any specific feedback
for our work, please do not hesitate to reach out, carverc@bethel.k12.ct.us.
Sincerely,
Christine L. Carver, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools
Copy of Carver letter:
A few photos, shown below, from the “OCCUPY GREENWOOD, Black Lives Matter” protest, view all photos HERE.
Partial view of the video recording screen of the drive-in outdoor Bethel High School 2020 graduation that was marred by racial slurs in the chat section early in the ceremony (we have blurred the section out out of respect for all individuals):
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