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Even as high-profile hate and bias incidents grab national attention, it’s difficult to quantify how many occur in broader society, including the place of supposed peace and protection – our schools.
For the sake of space, I am not going to list the thousands of examples of hate crimes against others based upon their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability and now, fashionably enough – political parties.
Since the pandemic began school episodes related to hate, bias and interpersonal violence skyrocketed. Every week brought about hatefully charged social media posts or classroom exchanges.
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Although our public health organizations come up with vaccines to combat the coronavirus, our schools have not been able to address the explosion of hate and bias spreading in our classrooms.
Over the past few years, American students have seen unarmed people of color publicly murdered. Anti-Semitism is bantered around as chitchat. They’ve followed news stories and seen video clips of an insurrection at the nation’s capital. And they’ve lived through what is arguably the most divisive political climate in recent memory.
Threats of violence. Menacing images. Bigoted comments and ignorant rants. Spurred by discord in political rhetoric and mounting prejudice against minority groups, instances of hostility and racism happen daily in our nation’s schools, putting more children at risk
of becoming victims.
Hate is as fresh as ever and easily had on a slew of social media platforms. Hate’s accessibility makes it the ideal streaming service for those wanting their daily fix of hostility, loathing and venom. It’s front and center. It simply shows itself much more clearly and easily.
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Episodes of hate and intolerance, whether crimes or simply bad behavior, are skyrocketing in schools across America, and I’m not talking about colleges – I’m talking about elementary school and up. These incidents can happen in classrooms, bathrooms, on TikTok and in the hallways.
Students react to what they see in their community and bring it to school. When they see messages from society that say, “It’s okay,” then it empowers young students who don’t have a lot of perspective yet.
Experts say the jump in incidents is more than just a case of “boys/girls will be boys/girls,” but rather a reflection of the community around them.
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And besides home, there is no better place for hate to percolate than in school. With their faces in phones all day, they are able to watch, participate, and in perpetuate nastiness in real time. The pervasive use of social media to spread messages of hate leave communities feeling pummeled.
Schools have plans and protocols in place to respond to fires, severe weather, medical emergencies, fights and weapons possession. But what about school incidents that involve bigotry and hate?
Are plans in place to respond to a bias incident or hate crime? Too often these plans are created in the moment during the actual crisis. Bias incidents are far too complex for on-the-fly planning; an early misstep can heighten tension and damage chances for long-term success.
But schools are not hermetically sealed institutions. They are not immune from the political and socioeconomic forces gripping our nation.
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The reality is that while these media reports pop up with alarming regularity, they represent just a tiny fraction of the hate and bias incidents that educators are encountering in the classroom.
How can you address long-term planning and capacity building for the future, including development of social emotional skills? Hateful acts at school are dangerous, disturbing and disruptive.
In the six years I have been writing this column, this is the shortest headline ever. Need more be said?
This column is by Ritchie Lucas, Founder of The Student Success Project and Think Factory Consulting. He can be reached by email at ritchie@thinkfactory.com and on Facebook and You Tube as The Student Success Project.
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