What happened at Live Oak High School last week when American
flag attire collided with Mexican colors on Cinco de Mayo is a case
study for school administrators in how not to handle a delicate
situation.
What happened at Live Oak High School last week when American flag attire collided with Mexican colors on Cinco de Mayo is a case study for school administrators in how not to handle a delicate situation.
There’s nothing “calming” about Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez and Principal Nick Boden insisting that students wearing patriotic-themed clothing turn their shirts inside out. That request, given the circumstances, is clearly incendiary.
Days later, cooler heads prevailed and Boden, who is retiring at the end of the year, issued this statement: “In this situation, I may have moved too quickly in drawing the line of when to take preventative action.”
There is no maybe about it. Though the national media attention certainly aimed a huge spotlight at the school, the judgments were, regardless, hasty and unnecessary. The four students wearing patriotic clothing didn’t need to be sent home.
“The students should not have been asked to remove their patriotic shirts,” Smith said at Tuesday night’s board meeting, his statement met with a round of applause. He also said he hopes the community may “uncover greatness from controversy.”
The judgments made and the atmosphere maintained at Ann Sobrato and Gilroy high schools stood in stark contrast. Though many students donned both Mexican and American national colors, none were sent home.
What it comes down to, of course, is using good judgment. Fairness is key, especially at a high school where teens are quick to “feel” the sting of unfair decisions.
If American-themed clothing is banned – and thankfully it’s not under Morgan Hill Unified School District’s dress code – then Mexican-themed clothing must be banned.
Addressing student behavioral issues applies equally across the board. What gets you suspended on the 12th of October should be no different than what gets you suspended on the 5th of May. Again, it’s about judgment.
Judgment comes from experience and common sense, but it can be augmented by training. Perhaps there is a seminar that Morgan Hill Unified administrators can take which will help decipher the keys to good judgment in difficult circumstances.
Additionally, since administrators clearly knew that Cinco de Mayo had caused tensions on campus in prior years, the question arises as to what preparations were made and what discussions were formalized in anticipation to that day.
More planning would appear to be in order.
Meanwhile though, America isn’t perfect.
As the controversy reflects the mood of the nation, including coming from Arizona where a tough, new anti-illegal immigration law was passed, it has some Hispanic-Americans believing they are being punished because of the immigration chaos. They think anger over the flood of illegal aliens is race-based.
On the other side, millions of Americans are simply fed up with the failure of the federal government to control the border and to impose order on the immigration process.
We’re light years ahead of most of the world when it comes to assimilation and tolerance. Let’s remember that, and remember that respect, applied without an agenda, is key when it comes to human relations.
That’s important to remember for students, and the rest of us.
