The Morgan Hill Police Department and local school district officials are investigating the recent hand-written inscriptions of racial slurs in a student yearbook at Ann Sobrato High School.
In a June 5 email to Morgan Hill Unified School District board members and superintendent’s office, San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP President Sean Allen described the incident and urged the district to address the concerns.
The offensive gestures appeared to be written by students in at least one fellow student’s yearbook, Allen said. His email included photos of the hand-written notes.
“The messages written by students included the use of the ‘N’ word in various contexts, which is deeply offensive and unacceptable,” says Allen’s email, which he copied to this newspaper. “Alarmingly, one senior wrote ‘N[word] killer’ in someone’s yearbook, while another senior wrote ‘stay Nazi’ and drew a swastika in the same yearbook. This kind of language and imagery not only perpetuates hate but also normalizes violence and bigotry against individuals based on race and ideology.”
On behalf of the NAACP, Allen said the purpose of his email was “to express our deep concern and condemnation regarding the recent incident at Ann Sobrato High School, where students exhibited behavior that reflects racism and a troubling lack of accountability.”
MHUSD officials declined to answer specific questions about Allen’s letter and the yearbook incident. MHUSD spokesperson Lanae Bays said the district is investigating the allegations.
“Morgan Hill Unified School District does not tolerate hate speech or the use of racial slurs in any form,” Bays said in a statement on behalf of MHUSD. “We are addressing the matter in accordance with district policies, including restorative practices, and are cooperating fully with law enforcement. We remain committed to fostering a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all students.”
MHPD is also investigating the yearbook incident. Sgt. Scott Purvis said the racial slurs were reported by a third party to MHPD on June 5. Purvis said it is not immediately clear if any crimes were committed or if it was “more just inappropriate comments in a yearbook.”
The city’s school resource officer is investigating the incident, Purvis said.
Allen’s email said Sobrato staff “let these students off with just a warning for their racist behavior, which raises serious questions about the commitment to addressing such issues.” This newspaper has not been able to verify what, if any, discipline was administered to students in relation to the yearbook messages.
Allen’s email added that the incident and district’s apparent response are reflective of an unfortunate pattern in Morgan Hill.
“Our organization is particularly troubled as the City of Morgan Hill has been a significant source of complaints to the NAACP regarding racism and hate crimes. Alarmingly, statistics indicate that black students represent only 1.5% of the student population while accounting for more than 17% of the students expelled,” Allen’s email said.
This newspaper has been unable to verify the numbers listed by Allen, who did not respond to a request for a follow-up interview.
“Implementing educational programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion can help create a more positive environment. We must engage students in meaningful dialogues that challenge harmful stereotypes and encourage empathy,” Allen wrote to MHUSD.
