Two 17-year-old boys remain home from classes at Monroe High School following separate incidents, both involving nooses.
One of the boys was charged this week with felony malicious harassment for allegedly waving a noose at a black classmate and calling racial epithets to him.
Court documents filed in that case say the school’s security officer later found a noose hanging from the rearview mirror of another student’s vehicle. That boy also was expelled, school district spokeswoman Rosemary O’Neil said.
Though the boy apparently did not taunt anyone with the noose, “it’s still a symbol of hate,” O’Neil said. School policy allows for expulsion in those cases, she said.
Other symbols would include swastikas and Confederate flags.
Court records say the boy with the noose in his vehicle “indicated that other students also had nooses in their vehicles but kept them in their glove boxes while on the school premises.”
A parent who is working with school officials to address racism concerns was worried about the potential trend. “It makes me really wonder what the depth of racist activity is going on in this community,” Catherine Collins said.
The second expulsion brings to four the number of racially motivated incidents at the high school since classes started in September.
In mid-September, a Mexican flag was torn down and thrown into a restroom. An argument with racial undertones also was reported.
The school’s principal sent a letter to families Oct. 29 inviting them to join the coalition to address racism concerns after a string of three incidents. O’Neil said she counted both of the noose incidents as “all the same incident.”
“Any report that we get, we are following up on,” O’Neil added.
The students may appeal the expulsion or apply to return to school. Once back in classes, they can catch up on their missed work on an individual basis, she said.
Students this week were shown a video on respect. The short film was broadcast over the school’s video address system after a Veterans Day assembly.
Reporter Melissa Slager: 425-339-3465 or mslager@heraldnet.com.
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