Racial Tensions, Dress Concerns Raised At Concord Middle School

CONCORD, NH — Overall, school administrators believe the transfer of most of Concord middle school students from remote to in-person learning has been pretty seamless — with the exception of social and political issues, including racial tensions between students and teachers as well as other students, behavior, and annual springtime dress code issues, which seem more problematic this year than prior years.

In a memo to families on Saturday night, Principal Paulette Fitzgerald raised the issues of student behavior that administrators and teachers were contending with while requesting parental assistance to help students cope and learn in a multifaceted and complicated world. School officials met with seventh- and eighth-graders on Friday and will meet with sixth-graders early this week to discuss the matters as well as the expected behavior of students to create an effective and caring learning environment.

"They have been away from school for more than a year," Fitzgerald said, acknowledging everyone knew there would be some problems. "In the first weeks back, students have been settling into their routines (but) it was different for them than remote."

One of the issues raised with students and parents was racial tensions inside the school.

Fitzgerald said there had been a number of concerns impacting students — including the historical context of the use of some words as well as hurtful and racist comments and fighting.

One incident, confirmed by students, involved a white student who used the n-word and a Black student assaulting the student for using the word. Part of the incident was recorded on Tik Tok and shared with other students.

Words used in lessons, such as "Blacks" and "negro," led a few students to become upset, too. Concord High School had a similar issue when students complained the thin blue line flag was displayed in the Concord Regional Technical Center's criminal justice class was a symbol of white supremacy — due to protesters at the capitol building in Washington, D.C., carrying the flags on Jan. 6. The flag actually memorializes fallen police officers — and more than appropriate for the class. However, it was removed based on the student complaints. It remains on the student sweatshirts and a committee is eyeing the issue at the school.

Fitzgerald said social studies and, to a lesser extent, language arts teachers, too, were trying to teach "history as it was and not white-wash it, for lack of a better word." The usage of the words led students to become "emotionally charged," which led to "back and forth" with other students and teachers — a reflection of what is going on politically across the nation. Fitzgerald, who has been involved with teaching and leading middle-schoolers for many years, said the learning process comes at a time when adolescent development is still ongoing. It is at "a tender" stage, she said. Their development is not truly complete until the students get into their mid-20s, Fitzgerald noted.

"They are impulsive," Fitzgerald said. "They don't have a filter. They just say what comes into their minds."

Most of the students (Fitzgerald estimated, about 80 percent) were doing fine and acting respectfully. But others were struggling.

One example, Fitzgerald said, was when white students hear the n-word in a song or when Black students use the word as a "form of endearment" to them and white students hear that. The white student thinks it is OK to use — mimicking or singing what they hear. When they do, often with "hard R," it can upset the Black students, she added. Either way, the use of the word is unacceptable for the school setting, Fitzgerald said and was confusing students.

Fitzgerald commended teachers at the school, calling them "amazing" and wanting "to do the right thing," when it came to teaching history — which is often painful, in an accurate manner, and allowing students to express themselves, too. But, they "don't want to step on landmines" either.

"We don't want kids feeling hurt," she said, "and we don’t want them feeling unwelcome … but they are wicked impulsive and it is just who they are."

At the same time, middle-schoolers inherently champion causes and the school is working at finding ways of empowering and teaching them in a safe and thoughtful way, she said. Fitzgerald said administrators and teachers were also involved in training, specifically focused on "anti-racism."

Not all the conflicts and fights at the middle school, however, have been about race.

Fitzgerald confirmed police had been to the school for a number of incidents recently. There are groups of students who "just don't like each other," she said. There are also issues where more affluent students are targeting others on social media — especially amongst the girls, Fitzgerald said. These issues have not been about clothes or other things like they have in the past.

"Almost everything is tied to social media," Fitzgerald said. "If I had my way, I would ban it all for younger students. It is affecting their development."

Most of the incidents on Facebook, Snapchat, and Tik Tok have been name-calling, she said. Those comments have led to fights, including some off-campus.

The student dress code has also been an issue as the warmer seasonal temperatures have returned — including short-shorts and shirts cut to expose the midriff, something that was not appropriate for the school setting.

"Every spring, this happens," she said, adding the district policy "is pretty broad and vague but focused on dressing for the task … it has taken on a life of its own and really caught us by surprise."

That surprise included rumors and misunderstandings which were a bit frustrating, she said. At Rundlett, "dressing for the task" is about learning — not hanging out at the beach in a bikini or lounging around in pajamas. Fitzgerald said many of the dress code problems have been girls and some parents and girls complained they were targeted or administrators were "body-shaming" them. However, the dress code is "a gender-neutral dressing guideline," she said. Boys cannot dress inappropriately either.

"(Students) can't show their bellies," Fitzgerald said.

At the same time, she does not blame students — much of the dress code issues are based on style and what is being sold in stores. And Fitzgerald always wants the students to have a voice, something she considers critical for student development. She has scheduled a number of appointments with students and student groups to discuss the issues and will continue to.

"The opportunity for them to have a discussion is important," she said. "It's important for them to be heard" even if the policy and expectations would not change.

Kathleen Murphy, the SAU 8 superintendent, said the district takes situations that happen with students "very seriously" and Fitzgerald's letter to parents, which she spent a lot of time preparing, was one way of immediately responding to student behavior, the racial tensions, and dress code issues.

"She's really on it," Murphy said of Fitzgerald. "She took immediate steps to address it."

Murphy added she thought the racial comments were "inappropriate" but she was "pleased with the transparency." The next step, she added, was for parents to talk with their children and play a role in resolving these issues.

"Yes, it is happening in school," Murphy said. "But it is also us, working together. We know parents will step in and help us with that."

In the end, Fitzgerald thinks things will settle down and get back to normal for the last month of the school year.

"Students have been in unstructured situations for more than a year and now they are coming back," she said. "They have re-learn school again and how to be a student again. I did not anticipate how great that would be to which the degree we have to focus on (them) being students again."

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