Franklin school meeting explodes as student describes bullying

Local

“Being gay, which can mean I’m gay … I’m being personally attacked at school for this.”

ONE school committee meeting Tuesday night exploded in Franklin in an emotional back-and-forth between a student representative and an audience after the student alleged continued bullying in the city’s high school.

Senior Mackenzie Atwood spent a few minutes talking about how the school has held meetings regarding certain “protected” classes, and how everyone in the school should be protected regardless of gender, gender identity, race, sexuality, or other differences.

Atwood seemed to respond to citizen comments earlier in the meeting of parents questioning which students would be considered “protected” and which would not. Some of these comments included questions about whether a student would be considered protected from being persecuted for being white, and dissatisfaction with the answer to that question from a school official.

“What is not clear [the] The school environment is that even though everyone is said to be protected, it is not followed up, ”Atwood pointed out.

As a member of her school’s theater community, she noted that many students there are gay and that it is “a safe space”. Many times, however, students talk about homophobic or racist incidents at school.

“When kids come to the theater every single day and say, ‘I got called by ***** in the hall today’ or ‘I got called a race commercial in the hallway today,’ it’s nothing to do. joke with, even though it has become something that we are so numb to that it becomes a joke, ”she said.

“So I think it’s important to understand that yes, everyone is protected at school, but being a Caucasian is not something you get bullied about.”

Atwood’s comments attracted vocal disagreement among some among the audience, prompting school committee chair Anne Bergen to slam his hammer.

“By being gay, which I can say I’m gay, tell me what you want about it, I’ll be personally attacked in school about this,” Atwood continued.

More vocal disagreement followed, along with more hammer blows.

Atwood was then emotional, saying it is “disgusting that you can look me in the eye and say I will not be oppressed at this school.”

A tumult ensued, and Bergen told the audience that they would be asked to go and sit down.

One can hear someone outside the camera say, “This is going to stop, this is indoctrination,” a common rallying cry on Fox News and other conservative media.

Bergen then calls for a temporary postponement, and the current is reduced.

When the meeting resumed, Bergen reminded that everyone who had made comments earlier during the meeting was allowed to do so with respect.

“I just pray with respect that you give our students the same right tonight and I will never ever ask anyone to go, but this meeting will be conducted with respect,” she said. “And there will be no shouting from the crowd, that’s not how we hold meetings in this building.”

A letter was sent out to the community on the issue by Superintendent Sara Ahern, according to NBC10 Boston.

“It is with a heavy heart and sincere anger that I write about the events that took place at last night’s school committee meeting,” the letter said. “The behavior, tone, and disruption of some members of the public was appalling and a violation of Franklin Public Schools’ core values ​​of a safe and inclusive environment.”

See the whole event:

Subscribe to newsletter

Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com