Schools
NUSD: 3.10.22 Update On San Marin High School Investigation
I would like to share with you some background about the incidents, and the interventions we have undertaken, and upcoming changes in po ...
lbenjamin
March 10th, 2022
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3.10.22 Update on San Marin High School Investigation
Dear NUSD Staff and Community,
As you may be aware, last fall, we initiated an investigation of complaints regarding racial name calling by some students in the San Marin High School (SMHS) athletic program. As a district and our thirteen school sites, we do not condone such unacceptable behavior. We believe that there were 3 to 4 students involved. The complaints were filed by the San Rafael City Schools, (SRCS), the Tamalpais High School District (Tam), and the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD). The investigation was recently completed. The investigation sustained the common allegations and found that there is credible evidence that 3 to 4 SMHS students used racial epithets towards opposing team members. None of the SMHS players commonly identified by the three high schools admitted to wrongdoing and/or they declined to be interviewed.
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I would like to share with you some background about the incidents, and the interventions we have undertaken, and upcoming changes in policies, regulations, and practices, as we move forward toward resolution of the issues raised by these incidents.
Over the course of the football season and leading into basketball season, three high schools, two in Marin, and one in San Mateo County, filed formal complaints about racial name calling that occurred during two football games and one boys’ basketball game. Beginning on September 25, 2021 and continuing through the length of the investigation which concluded on March 1, 2022, NUSD implemented a variety of interventions, which are listed below. Positive Coaching Alliance, a national non-profit organization that provides on-line and in person workshops to assist youth in developing a positive, inclusive culture and moral character through athletics, provided trainings for SMHS student athletes, coaches, and administrators in the fall. Additionally, we began a review of board policies, regulations and practices including: Student Behavior, Bullying, and most recently, the Athletic Handbook and student athlete and coach agreements, with the guidance of our legal counsel, Dora Dome of Dora Dome Law Offices, who specializes in student services.
The following is a brief overview of actions that have taken place since the first complaint was filed on September 25, 2021, the day after the football game with San Rafael High School (SRHS).
The next formal complaint occurred after the football game that was held on October 30, 2021 at Tamalpais High School.
A third formal complaint came from a boys’ basketball tournament sponsored by Marin Catholic on December 29, 2021.
These three incidents have shown us that there are a small number of student athletes at SMHS for whom our training and other interventions have not been successful. It is our intent to access every available tool to effect change and put an end to this issue.
Attorney Dora Dome is continuing her work in reviewing the following policies, regulations, and practices in order to develop a system to discourage racial name calling and develop effective consequences for such behavior.
My sincere hope is that racial name calling is eliminated as we address this issue through policy, regulation, practices, the Athletic Handbook, agreements, and mandatory equity training for student athletes and coaches in order to reach the desired outcome. Trustee approved policies and practices are intended to address and establish effective consequences so that racial name calling is extinguished.
I remain grateful to everyone who has and will come together to ensure a safe, respectful and inclusive environment that is free of racial name calling.
Respectfully,
Jan La Torre-Derby, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Novato Unified School District
1015 7th Street
Novato, CA 94945
This press release was produced by the Novato Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
