Hate crimes are not un-precedent in the United States or worldwide, NHS has been privileged to not experience such hateful acts here. However, they have been a part of our history ever since people knew as a society what diversity was. Biased behaviors towards one race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and disability are increasing.
In the U.S., anti-Muslim groups have been on the rise with terrorist attacks and the fear of the events in the Middle East. From 2014-2015, these groups have grown 67% according to the Hate Crimes report. It is the largest increase in any hate group today.
“Teaching acceptance. If we gave out less information about hate crimes to students and more about acceptance than it would stop the problem to being with,” NHS guidance counselor Lisa Kapitan said.
The Anti-Defamation League or ADL is an organization whose goal is to fight defamation of any minorities also called as anti-semitism. In 2005, the ADL released the Pyramid of Hate. Each “stair step” of the pyramid shows the severity of biased behaviors. The pyramid goes from individual acts of prejudice, discrimination, bias-motivated violence, to the top, genocide. “Like a pyramid, the upper levels are supported by the lower level. If people or institutions treat behaviors on the lower levels as being acceptable…” the ADL said in a statement at the USC Shoah Foundation.
“I think overall our school is really accepting of different groups. In the movies there are the stereotypical different groups and they don’t blend. I feel like here there is definitely a different place for people to go. There is a group for everyone. There are certain schools that I’ve even worked at that there is like maybe 2-3 (groups) and if you don't fit into those groups you don’t feel like you along. At Newtown there is a place for everyone,” Kapitan said.
A lot of students try to make everyone feel accepted despite their background. Here at NHS, we have unified theater, unified sports teams along with other clubs and sports, all in which make our peers feel accepted and give them a place of comfort.
Freshman at NHS have a requirement to take English 1. Many books in the freshman curriculum include a message of tolerance such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, The Lord of the Flies and Night. The significance of Night and the sensitive background plays an important role for both students and teachers in that course.
“I think since that Elie Weisel passed away last year, it becoming more evident to me that we’re losing these stories and we’re losing the connections to the Holocaust. So I think that every time we read this book we are renewing that connection and we’re reminding ourselves about what happened in the past,” NHS English teacher Sayward Parsons said.
“I think it’s a privilege to teach English because I feel like through literature it's a way that you can explore these issues. English teachers naturally have that ability to do that,” Parsons said.
“I think that all teachers just by being aware of how students relate to one another and how knowledgeable they are of the real world,” Parsons said.
On April 15, 2008, Christopher Reinhart, Senior Attorney of Connecticut, published the “Connecticut Hate Crime Laws”. This online document is only a summary of this state’s laws against violent bias. There are three degrees to each form of a hate crime against a race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. First degree is the highest level, with a charge of $10,000 or one to ten years of prison or both.
How these acts are handled depends on the school’s policies. Here at NHS, hate crime policies derive from the seriousness of the action and how direct it is.
“It could be an out of school suspension it could be that serious, it could be a ten day out, it could be a five day out, we always base that on did the student or students have other issues prior. It it something brand new, did the student do it directed at some group or some student. We look at all the variables that go into that in making a decision from a disciplinary standpoint,” NHS Principal Lorrie Rodrigue said.
Hate crimes are on the news every week and each state handles them differently and shows it the way the media wants to. In Newtown, these acts are not taken lightly and initiative is taken immediately. The community has proven itself to be accepting and considerate of others.
Image Courtesy of WPTV