A Corona del Mar Center and Excessive College pupil was suspended this week, allegedly for saying remarks deemed to be threatening, comparable to “Free Palestine,” to a classmate, in accordance with social media posts circulating Friday.
Newport-Mesa Unified Assistant Superintendent Kerrie Torres confirmed the scholar was suspended for 3 days from classroom instruction beginning on Nov. 13.
Torres and different district staff reached Friday night mentioned they might not go into additional particulars about what prompted the suspension.
However a social media publish that purports to be from the scholar’s aunt included a photograph of a letter signed by Principal Jacob Haley that mentioned: “(The coed) mentioned threatening remarks to a younger girl at school. He mentioned ‘Free Palestine.’” These social media posts additionally detailed earlier tensions that occurred between the scholar and others in school.
Corona del Mar Excessive was the positioning of vandalism final month after swastikas had been drawn on a locker.
Newport-Mesa Unified helps college students’ free speech, nevertheless it “is not going to tolerate hateful speech in our colleges, particularly not hate speech that incites others to interact in destructive conduct,” mentioned Annette Franco, a district spokesperson, in an emailed assertion Friday night.
“We have now an obligation to take care of a secure studying surroundings whereas respecting college students’ rights to talk on points,” the assertion mentioned. “We take our obligations to college students severely, and due to this, there’s an expectation for college kids to interact in respectful dialogue for change, not hateful speech that’s directed towards a selected pupil inhabitants.”
The suspended pupil’s household couldn’t be reached for remark Friday night.
Within the case of the reported vandalism final month, college officers mentioned they alerted police who had been investigating the incident. There was no indication from both district staff or the social media posts Friday that the suspended pupil was concerned within the vandalism.
Franco mentioned final month that the vandalism and a rise in digital hate speech prompted the college to kind an interfaith council made up of scholars, mother and father, neighborhood members and native spiritual leaders to debate the incident and encourage constructive dialogue round culturally delicate points going ahead.
Corona del Mar is a public center and highschool in Newport Seaside.
