Latest news with #EastAuroraMiddleSchool
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
East Aurora School District addresses racist remarks toward students, plans for dialogue on inclusion
EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WIVB) — The East Aurora Middle School was filled on Wednesday with parents who brought their concerns of racism being directed at their kids and other children to the school board. Many called it a troubling and reoccurring issue. The East Aurora Union Free School District is currently looking into racial incidents at the middle school in what they called 'a pattern of concerning conduct.' East Aurora School District Superintendent Brian Russ said the racial incidents under investigation started this month when a teacher reported over half a dozen students directing hate at a single individual. 'From there, we investigated,' Russ said. 'It had racial overtones and so as we went through the process, we realized that there were a number of students involved, so we interviewed them and gathered information.' Russ confirmed that racial remarks in the school's basketball team group chat are a part of the investigation. Middle school parents Amanda Jetty and Ejona Liberti said they know the family directly impacted by the comments. Those families didn't attend the board meeting. 'We support all the kids involved and we wanna make sure that they know that they could come to us, we would help them out in whichever way we can to deal with the situation and grow from the situation together,' Liberti said. The parents in attendance expressed their desire to stand in solidarity with those affected and ensure their voices are heard in the conversation. 'It is worrisome, but I'm hopeful to what I'm seeing — how I'm seeing the school react, how I'm seeing the community react,' Liberti said. Russ said the district is committed to creating a safe environment for both parents and students, stating that the school plans to introduce more opportunities for inclusion and acceptance, such as inviting experts to communicate the importance of words. 'We're working with our students directly in large and smaller groups and then we're providing resources for our community,' Russ said. Other parents worry that the school's reaction is too extensive and affects those who had no part in the incident. 'My concern is that this response from the board appears to overreach in so far as it really suggests the implantation in children that maybe there's some kind of collective guilt for something and that's that's just not American,' one parent said. Concerned parents are planning on holding a 'Hate Has No Home Here' rally at 1:30 p.m. Friday outside of middle school located at 166 South Grove St. They said it's a public showing for the victims of racism at the school to show them they are not alone. Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NY mom files lawsuit against school after son allegedly punished for defending 'two genders'
The mother of a middle school student in New York is taking legal action after her son was allegedly disciplined for saying that there are two genders. According to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York on Friday, "A.B.," a middle school student at East Aurora Middle School, was suspended by the school for five days in March and was told that part of the reason for the suspension was because he expressed his belief there were only two genders. The court filing, which does not identify the mother or student, states that A.B. made this comment in November, but no disciplinary action was taken against him at the time. However, the complaint says A.B. was given a disciplinary notice in March that "vaguely" accused him of "violent conduct" and his prior statement about gender was cited as "part of the rationale for his punishment." A.B. did not disrupt school activities or target any specific individual with his gender remark, the filing claims. Massachusetts Teen Battling In Court Over T-shirt Thrilled With Trump's 'Only Two Genders' Policy According to the complaint, A.B. was charged with violating the student code of conduct, which prohibits speech that "demeans" or "denigrates" others "if it presents a reasonable foreseeable risk of disruption." Read On The Fox News App "The Defendants' claim that A.B.'s words constituted 'violence' was a pretext to justify retaliation against him for expressing a viewpoint that school officials disfavored," the complaint states. The school and district are accused in the lawsuit of retaliating against the student's First Amendment rights and violating his right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment. The complaint claims that school officials were "motivated by a desire to retaliate" against the student's comment, months after he expressed his views, because President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January recognizing "two sexes, male and female." Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Middle School Student Who Wore 'Only Two Genders' Shirt "So here you've got an educational institution that still wants to charge a kid for saying what the President of the United States has now said is the official government policy of the United States," the mother's lawyer, R. Anthony Rupp III, told Buffalo News. Rupp said in the same report that the district is seeking a longer suspension for the student's gender comment and two other comments the student made, which are not mentioned in the lawsuit. The mother's legal team is seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorneys' fees and for the school officials to expunge any disciplinary record related to A.B.'s protected speech. The complaint was filed by an unnamed East Aurora Middle School parent, "J.S." on behalf of her minor child, "A.B.," and lists East Aurora Middle School Principal Matthew Brown and East Aurora Union Free School District Superintendent Brian Russ as defendants. Brown and Russ did not return requests for comment. The plaintiff's attorney, R. Anthony Rupp III, did not return a request for article source: NY mom files lawsuit against school after son allegedly punished for defending 'two genders'
Fox News
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
NY mom files lawsuit against school after son allegedly punished for defending 'two genders'
The mother of a middle school student in New York is taking legal action after her son was allegedly disciplined for saying that there are two genders. According to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York on Thursday, "A.B.," a middle school student at East Aurora Middle School, was suspended by the school for five days in March and was told that part of the reason for the suspension was because he expressed his belief there were only two genders. The court filing, which does not identify the mother or student, states that A.B. made this comment in November, but no disciplinary action was taken against him at the time. However, the complaint says A.B. was given a disciplinary notice in March that "vaguely" accused him of "violent conduct" and his prior statement about gender was cited as "part of the rationale for his punishment." A.B. did not disrupt school activities or target any specific individual with his gender remark, the filing claims. According to the complaint, A.B. was charged with violating the student code of conduct, which prohibits speech that "demeans" or "denigrates" others "if it presents a reasonable foreseeable risk of disruption." "The Defendants' claim that A.B.'s words constituted 'violence' was a pretext to justify retaliation against him for expressing a viewpoint that school officials disfavored," the complaint states. The school and district are accused in the lawsuit of retaliating against the student's First Amendment rights and violating his right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment. The complaint claims that school officials were "motivated by a desire to retaliate" against the student's comment, months after he expressed his views, because President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January recognizing "two sexes, male and female." "So here you've got an educational institution that still wants to charge a kid for saying what the President of the United States has now said is the official government policy of the United States," the mother's lawyer, R. Anthony Rupp III, told Buffalo News. Rupp said in the same report that the district is seeking a longer suspension for the student's gender comment and two other comments the student made, which are not mentioned in the lawsuit. The mother's legal team is seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorneys' fees and for the school officials to expunge any disciplinary record related to A.B.'s protected speech. The complaint was filed by an unnamed East Aurora Middle School parent, "J.S." on behalf of her minor child, "A.B.," and lists East Aurora Middle School Principal Matthew Brown and East Aurora Union Free School District Superintendent Brian Russ as defendants. Brown and Russ did not return requests for comment. The plaintiff's attorney, R. Anthony Rupp III, did not return a request for comment.
