Editor’s note: This commentary is by T. Elijah Hawkes, who is principal of Randolph Union Middle/High Schools. He has been a public school principal for 15 years. His writing about adolescents, democracy and schooling has appeared in various books and publications.
As the FBI warns local law enforcement of concerns about potentially violent rallies during the presidential transition, schools and other organizations must decide how to react.
Montpelier High School will be closed on Inauguration Day to in-person instruction due to concerns about the volatility in the state’s capital. My own sons’ school just sent a message that transportation routes are being carefully planned to avoid sites of potential unrest. Some educators are clearly worried about the safety of children in their care.
This is a time for all public institutions and private businesses to affirm our care for our children and our condemnation of violence as a way to solve political problems.
At the middle/high school where I’m principal, we are discussing this with our students this week and next. A version of the letter below is being discussed with them, and shared with our wider school community. It was drafted with input from teacher and administrator colleagues.
To students, faculty, staff and the wider school community:
The FBI and local police are making special preparations for possible armed rallies across the nation over the next few days, as the power of the presidency transitions from President Trump to President-elect Biden.
These concerns make it a good time to remind ourselves about why weapons and violence are prohibited in schools and in so many other places. We do not tolerate violence in schools, nor do we permit intimidating or harassing words. This is because it makes people feel fear, sadness and other negative emotions — and people don’t learn well when they feel this way.
The only time I invite someone who carries a weapon into our school is when I call upon local law enforcement to help us address a problem that could become seriously dangerous to the safety of students.
I know that some principals in other places cannot feel the same way, but I trust our local law enforcement officers. We work well together to help keep students safe. That said, I call law enforcement to school grounds very rarely. This is because we are a school community that finds ways to address problems without physical confrontation or extreme escalation. I’m speaking about all of us, adults and students. Our discussion-based classrooms, restorative justice forums, advisory program, and strong relationships across the school have helped us be a peaceful place of learning.
Will our school community members carry weapons to protests over the next few days? Will our neighbors or family members? I do not know. I do know that weapons are not allowed on school grounds and that suspension or expulsion from school follows such incidents.
I also know that our School Board’s policy against bullying and harassment requires us to respond to incidents that happen both in and outside of school. This is about words as well as actions. If something is said or done outside of school, including on social media, we have to consider it our concern if it interferes with any student’s education.
Our students belong to a place that stands for critical thinking, a strong work ethic and striving for justice without resort to violence. Students who embody these values and actions go far. Students who don’t often struggle to meet their goals for schooling, college and employment. This is true for adults, too.
When there’s concern about violence in the community, it’s good for adults to remind each other of consequences for behaviors that disturb the peace or harm others.
Some of us may have heard of Sgt. Lucas Hall. He is a police officer in our state who was just suspended without pay from his job because he expressed support for the criminal acts that happened at the U.S. Capitol last week.
Or we may have heard of 25year-old Ty Garbin, who was once an airplane mechanic. He is no longer an airplane mechanic. He’s in jail, because he allegedly decided that violence was the way to solve problems and plotted to kidnap the governor of Michigan. He faces up to life in prison.
The lives of individuals and families can be ruined when we consider violence or intimidation the way to address our concerns.
I hope that the employers of our communities — including my own employer — remind the adults who belong to their organization what they stand for. I hope that our town officers, chiefs of police and fire departments, and local business leaders do the same. Let us ask our colleagues, neighbors, family and friends to leave weapons out of the mix during this period of political transition. It will make our streets and neighborhoods safer for our children.
Meanwhile, here at school, we will continue to focus on the physical, emotional and intellectual welfare of the community’s young people. We will greet them in person with kind words each day as they enter for their health screenings. We will deliver school meals to them in their classrooms at lunch time. We will play kickball at recess and take walks with them for a breath of fresh air. We will teach and model norms for respectful discussion about topics of personal and political significance. These priorities will only gain importance in the days ahead. We do this out of care for our students — and the wider democratic society.
