The Skaneateles school district has been accused of racial discrimination, and a formal complaint filed by an African American student with state and federal civil rights agencies.
We caution our readers to remember that this is only a complaint — and anyone can make a complaint about anything — and no investigation has been done or comments made by the federal or state agencies, the school district or the board of education at this time.
We reserve judgment on this issue at the current time because there currently are no known facts on which to base a responsible conclusion. And we encourage community members to do the same.
The problem with issues such as these are that they make for compelling headlines, and yet what the headlines state are that one person accuses another. But what happens if or when the complaint gets dismissed, the charges proven false? That story, if it gets covered by the media at all, usually gets relegated to a few paragraphs in the back pages of the paper.
The result of such headlines in such cases, however, is irreparable damage to a defendant’s reputation.
Again, we have no idea what the truth of this matter is, and we will continue to follow the story. And if the varsity basketball coach is found to have discriminated against the player in question, there should be — and better be, from a responsible school board and school administration — consequences for his actions.
But what happens if there are no discriminatory actions found?
We in Skaneateles already are becoming labeled as a community of elitist racists and bigots, first because of the football program controversy and now because of this. We reject and resent such accusations, which themselves are by definition discriminatory for labeling one entire group with assumed characteristics.
We are a welcoming, compassionate community, but that does not mean there will not be misguided individuals within the group. The actions of one person do not define the character of a community, and the community’s greatness lies in the consequences it delivers for inappropriate actions.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID