Lyon County School District Official Statement regarding the Race-Based Bullying Issues Involving Yerington High School Students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2017
Lyon County School District Official Statement regarding the Race-Based Bullying Issues Involving Yerington High School Students
Yerington, NV, November 21, 2017–
This statement is in response to the reporting of the Reno Gazette Journal in the Sunday, November 19, 2017 Edition and is to correct inaccuracies in the reporting and to provide a factually accurate description of the reported events and the response of the Lyon County School District to these events. It is to insure to all our parents that all students/children in our District are valued and protected in the educational setting.
The Lyon County School District and Yerington High School staff do everything within their power to provide a safe and respectful learning environment for all students. Whenever students choose to engage in behavior that violates school/district policies or state law, appropriate actions and consequences are provided in accordance with these policies and laws. In addition, law enforcement is notified when criminal behavior is suspected. Should the student violation be a matter that involves the safety of other students, a safety plan is created and implemented to protect students from future violations. All LCSD administrators, staff and students are trained at the beginning of each school year in the aforementioned laws, policies and procedures.
Regarding the community race-based bullying issues involving YHS students, school administration has appropriately investigated and addressed every reported incident in this matter. This includes reported incidents during school time, related school activities and even incidents that took place away from school, such as the grossly inappropriate social media posts that occurred on Sunday, October 8, 2017. Even though this happened over the weekend, YHS and District administration immediately investigated the matter and followed all of the policies, procedures and laws while providing applicable consequences. In addition, administration met with all of the families and students involved to ensure appropriate safety plans were in place to prevent further violations. Unfortunately, a couple of different students chose to make inappropriate comments during the following two weeks. However, the reported infractions were immediately investigated and students again received applicable consequences according to LCSD policies. There have been no further reported incidents since October 26, 2017 as the staff continues to implement the safety plans.
Reno Gazette Journal reporter Siobhan McAndrew spoke with LCSD Superintendent, Wayne Workman about the Sunday, October 8, 2017 social media posts on Tuesday, October 24, 2017. During that conversation, Mr. Workman described the steps YHS administration had taken in the matter and that policies and procedures had been followed regarding all reported incidents. On Saturday, November 18, 2017, over one month after the social media posts occurred, RGJ published an article written by reporter Siobhan McAndrew regarding the aforementioned incidents. Unfortunately, the article did not include all of the actions taken by YHS and District administration that were in accordance with state law and District policies and procedures. In addition, the timeline of events was not represented, thus leaving the reader to believe that the issues were never addressed and on-going. In summary, the article contains several inaccuracies and YHS administration and LCSD have documentation outlining all of their actions. It should be noted that educational institutions are prohibited from disclosing student records according to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Student records include discipline and investigation records. Therefore, educational institutions are constrained from providing all of the facts regarding school related issues, potentially leaving the public to develop their own opinions without having all of the information.
YHS staff and student leadership continue to focus on cultivating their climate and culture as they have engaged officials from the Nevada Department of Education Office of Safe and Respectful Learning Environment, the Nevada Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a cultural diversity training organization called Guardian Quest for continued assistance with the matter. Additionally, YHS administration has created a unity committee composed of students, staff, family and community members from diverse backgrounds who will continue to advise staff and students in best practices for creating an inclusive, safe and respectful environment and climate. The unity committee was developed in collaboration with the Yerington and Walker River Paiute Tribe Education Departments and YHS administration.
YHS and District administration are committed to working closely with all students and families involved to ensure a positive, safe and respectful learning environment exists for all students.
Our vision… Graduate all students to be successful in college and career.
Our Mission… Provide relevant learning opportunities that develop adaptable, persistent and self-directed learners capable of creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking necessary to overcome complex challenges.
Every Student… Every Classroom… Every Day…
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