115 Student Reports of Bias at Boston Latin School: BPS Investigation

BOSTON, MA — Boston Public Schools released the results of a new investigation into dozens of reported racial, ethnic or otherwise biased conduct at Boston Latin School, a historic institution where complaints of mishandled incidents spurred the sudden resignation of its top two leaders in June.

The 115 newly reported allegations implicate students, teachers and administrators. The investigation results published Wednesday found 17 of those cases violated of school policy. In six cases, administrators were found to have incorrectly handled reports of bias, cases which dated prior to January 2016.

"The Office of Equity has thoroughly examined every concern raised by a BLS student or employee since the issues were brought to our attention in January," BPS Superintendent Tommy Chang said in a press release. "We take every concern regarding possible bias seriously. We will continue to focus on supporting BLS students, parents, staff and administrators as we move forward as a community to foster and sustain an environment where all feel valued and can flourish."

The updated investigation examines 115 incidents reported since Jan. 18, 2016. Some of the reported incidents date back to the 2012-13 school year, and several reports pertain to the same incident.

It follows an initial investigation last February into seven reported incidents sparked by two students' #BlackatBLS social media campaign, which started in mid-January.

According to BPS' Office of Equity report, most of the latest incidents were documented during a Jan. 22 meeting of Boston Latin's Black Leaders Aspiring for Change and Knowledge, encouraged by the group's leadership. That day alone, members filled out 91 report forms in reference to 81 alleged incidents or "broader observations." Six days later, those reports were delivered to the Office of Equity.

An additional 24 reports were subsequently submitted.

Of those reported incidents that included the student's racial identity, 24 reports came from black students, 11 from white, seven from Hispanic and three from Asian students.

Boston Public Schools' Office of Equity took on cases in which the behavior was allegedly repeated, while it monitored BLS administration as it handled alleged incidents that happened just once. Patch has broken down the findings below.

Administration

The Office of Equity identified six cases in which administrators again mishandled such incidents, taking insufficient action in response to students' allegations of bias. That mirrors the findings of its previous investigation, which pinpointed administrators' "failure to appropriately investigate, document, and take steps to prevent recurrences of bias-based conduct."

In total, that office examined 11 reports of insufficient action by administrators in response to allegations of bias. It notes that none of those reported incidents happened after January 2016.

Teachers

The Office of Equity identified four cases of bias by teachers, and found that seven of the investigated reports concluded teachers involved had "demonstrated cultural insensitivity" but not to the level of violating school policy. Twenty-seven of its investigations were related to bias by teachers or substitute teachers toward students.

Students

BLS administration found seven student-involved incidents of bias. It conducted 31 total investigations, finding the seven student violations and no teacher violations. In many case, the report noted, reports could not be pursued due to insufficient evidence or because the student reported anonymously, and could not be reached for interviews or other follow-up questions.

In its report, BPS said its Office of the Opportunity and Achievement Gap will be instituting cultural proficiency training across the district this fall. The Office of Equity additionally recommended sending a district-wide letter regarding the use of offensive language in the classroom.

"While studying the breadth of history and literature sometimes requires exposure to the worst of human behavior and language, educating students regarding that behavior and language requires thoughtful planning; carefully crafted ground rules; a high degree of awareness of students’ wide range of backgrounds,
identities, and experiences; and skilled facilitation," the report said.

That memo would also address how to effectively hold classroom discussions on highly charged issues, "such as bias and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, disability, gender, religion, or sexual orientation," the report said.

You can read the Office of Equity's full report here.