JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Kimberly Hutchinson, Principal Laura Swyberius, Assistant Principal

khutchin@somsd.k12.nj.us lswyberi@somsd.k12.nj.us

March 20, 2017

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am following up on a letter that wrote on Monday March 12, 2017 to families of students
directly involved in a student-created video that was shown during a presentation on the Colonies. Over the
past week, we have become aware that students beyond those that we initially identified have possibly seen this
video and therefore we feel that we need to address the entire team.

As you know, the culminating assignment for the Colonial America unit was to choose a colony to
research and then create a PowerPoint presentation with a partner about that colony. Students created plans
for their presentations which were signed off on by their parents/guardians and teacher. Unfortunately, some
students filmed an impromptu video reenactment of a slave auction in class on a day when was out for
a medical procedure and a substitute teacher was in charge of the class. The activity was not part of the
curriculum, not part of the teachers assignment, not condoned by the classroom teacher, and not authorized by
the district. This incident has been documented and directly referred to the Human Resources department and
the substitute service.

When we had the opportunity to view the full video last week, we were concerned to see how lightly
students treated the topic. The jovial nature of the video suggests that either there is a lack of understanding
about the true barbarity of a slave auction, or a lack of awareness of how treating this topic comically is
offensive. As explained in her earlier letter, she has already used this as a teachable moment to
reinforce the gravity of this part of our history and the importance of social justice and acting as responsible
members of our school community. We believe that additional work remains to help our students consider how
their actions can have a negative impact on others, even if unintended, how joking about slavery is disrespectful
to all Americans, especially to the African American community, and that certain matters should be treated with
a degree of heightened sensitivity.

Our School Social Worker, , will be leading and all of their students in a restorative circle
on these topics. This circle will take place tomorrow, Tuesday March 21, 2017. After the circle, we will assess the
response of the students on the team and whether the video has impacted students in other classes/grades, to
determine whether additional restorative circles or other interventions would be beneficial.

We thank you for your support and appreciate all of the feedback that we have received. It has led us to
develop a plan that that we feel confident will turn this unfortunate event into an opportunity for our students
to learn and grow. It is important to note that although we want students to reflect upon and own the roles that
they have played, this process will not allow for any students to be targeted or shamed in any way. We ask you
to speak with your children about their feelings regarding the video, how our choices can impact others, and
ways that they can help to foster a sense of respect and belonging for all members of our learning community.

In Partnership,

Kim Hutchinson, Principal

518 Ridgewood Road, Maplewood, NJ 07040

973.378.7696 (Phone)
973.378.7692 (Fax)