H-F Releases Plans As Board Condemns Students' Blackface Videos

HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR, IL — The District 233 School Board on Tuesday joined a growing list of government officials in condemning the actions of a group of Homewood-Flossmoor students who posted images of themselves in blackface Sunday and promised that the district will make cultural awareness and cultural competency training an integral part of its new strategic plan.

The statement came as Superintendent Von Mansfield and principal Jerry Lee Anderson released their first detailed account of how they have handled the controversy so far, as well as an outline of their next steps to address parents' and students' concerns.

"The poor decisions of a small group of students have created enormous upheaval and hurt within our school and community," they said in a joint statement. "These actions have touched each of us deeply, and we will continue to work together in order to begin the process of healing as a school and community."

The school board stopped short of calling the actions racist. As part of the condemnation, President Steve Anderson and Vice-president Gerald Pauling said that the video posts were "unacceptable and do not meet the expectations we have of Homewood-Flossmoor students."

"Homewood-Flossmoor High School will continue to stand against racism, and against insensitive and disrespectful behavior of any kind, and will take the appropriate and necessary actions to ensure that all students are respected, that our differences are embraced and that our unity is celebrated," they wrote.

Outrage swept across the community, leading the mayors of Homewood and Flossmoor to condemn the boys' actions. More than 1,000 students, along with parents and supporters, staged a walkout Tuesday afternoon to protest the images and what they said was the district's mishandling of the situation.

In their statement, Mansfield and Anderson outlined the steps they said they have taken to assist students who are troubled by the controversy. H-F aired a special message to students through its school television station, which can be viewed with a login at https://bit.ly/2V71SfU. They also supported the walkout and took steps to keep students safe, they said.

On Wednesday, staff will meet with students during English classes for an "interactive conversation." The details of those conversations are not known.

They also said, echoing the school board, that diversity and cultural competency training for all staff members and students will be a key issue as they develop the district's new strategic plan.

"If we expect excellence from our students, we must ensure that we provide our students and families with the crucial knowledge about our shared history in order to create informed citizens," they wrote.

Mansfield and Anderson addressed critics who said that the school had not done enough to discipline the boys who created the videos, saying the behavior is not condoned and that they are working to do "everything possible" to correct the situation.

"Please know that we understand your frustration that the school district cannot legally share specific information related to student discipline, but do know that the type of behavior these students displayed is not condoned by the school, and that we are doing everything possible to ensure that these students understand the ramifications of their actions and that appropriate consequences are received."

Read the board's letter in full: