POWAY, Calif. — Complaints of racism were leveled at Poway Unified School board members, their teachers, and staff Thursday night. Most were civil comments but anger seeped in.
Thomas Smith is a single dad with an 11-year-old son, he said at the meeting, "My son has been called the n-word. He has been bullied, he has been degraded, he doesn't even want to come back to this school next semester."
It was standing room only in the meeting room; many speakers delivering the same message.
"I want to be clear. The word n... is not name-calling, it is racist! It is what terrorists around this county and this world have used against people who look like me," said Tasha Williamson, community advocate.
She demanded changes, and threatened a lawsuit.
There was no official response from the board or administration but an assistant superintendent took the microphone, Carol Osborne, the Associate Superintendent of Learning Support.
"It deeply saddens me that during Black History month, we've had incidents of hate toward our African American students at one of our middle schools," she said.
She also talked of ideals. "When young people see themselves, their histories and their cultures represented in the curriculum, they're more engaged; they feel a sense of belonging," Osborne said.
That garnered a standing ovation when she finished.
The next speaker was Syntomia "Cindy" Martin, one of the parents in attendance. "To go through this school district is traumatic for children of color; so you give these wonderful speeches and they clap for you like you've done something. You've done nothing and this has been on your watch for years," she said.
"This is 2023. When will it end? When will we stop dehumanizing black children?"
No action was taken officially; this was not an agenda item and it's not allowed under state law without sufficient prior public notice. But points were made.
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