James Davis, chair of the Black Parents Workshop (BPW), has notified the West Orange Board of Education that it violated First Amendment rights and civil rights of West Orange High School students by interfering with a planned pro-Palestinian walk-out originally scheduled for October 30th. BPW is well-known for a series of lawsuits against the South Orange-Maplewood School District charging discriminatory practices against African-American students. It also cast a no-confidence vote in SOMA superintendent Ronald Taylor, who was dismissed by the local school board two weeks ago.

In the letter to the West Orange Board of Education (scroll to the bottom for full text), Davis warns,

“If you know our history, you will see that we sued and settled with the South Orange-Maplewood school district, in part, for civil rights violations against Black students.”

According to reports, the reason for the suspension of the walk-out was the students’ planned use of the slogan “From the River to the Sea,” which many interpret as an anti-semitic call for the elimination of Israel, which runs from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. After meeting with West Orange High School Principal Oscar Guerrero, the students agreed not to use that slogan but the walk-out, planned for the last period of the day, has been indefinitely delayed.

Mayor Susan McCartney also expressed alarm. “I beseech those involved in this event to honor your community,” she said, “to respect your neighbors, and pray for the return of hostages and the safety of all of the innocent people who have been affected by the attack and its aftermath.”

District superintendent Hayden Moore wrote, “I thank the student organizers for recognizing that the language was offensive to members of our community and for choosing to postpone the demonstration with the aim of ensuring that the message of peace and humanity is conveyed appropriately, without any form of hate speech.”

The student group organizing the rally issued two statements, the first saying it was unaware that it would have to distinguish Hamas from Palestinians living in Gaza. The second statement says,

“After discussion with administration and fellow students, we have decided to delay Monday’s walkout. The intent of the adjustment is aimed at affording all stakeholders ample time to receive a clear message of peace and humanity. We encourage all community members to continue upholding the values of our great community– peace, unity and unwavering support for humanity. Together, we must persist in exemplifying the finest qualities of our community. We acknowledge how this has upset the community and want to address that before the demonstration, it was meant to call for peace and unite the community, not to create division. As students, we are on a continual journey of learning how to effectively harness our voices to make a positive and meaningful impact in the world.”

Here is the letter from Davis:

West Orange Board of Education,

My name is James H. Davis III, Chairperson of Black Parents Workshop.  It has come to our attention that several West Orange High School students may have been deprived of their first amendment rights and civil rights and put in harm’s way by your school district.

Historically, we have been the vanguard of educational equity for Black students in South Orange-Maplewood, but recent events in your community have come to our attention and we believe that it is important to express our concern.

Based on our information, students planned to have a walkout to call for peace in Gaza.  In addition, there was no violence planned, discussed or threatened by these students.  However, our information also indicates that many community members were against the walkout.

In fact, it appears that the actual aggressors may have been:

a) parents coming on to school grounds, potentially trespassing, to express their displeasure with the planned walkout;

b)  a board member using “us” versus “them” language; and

c) other adults attempting to identify (doxxing) the students who were planning the student walk out, undoubtedly to cause them harm.

Our question to your school board is what has your role been in curtailing or de-escalating the potential violence upon your students and protecting their first amendment rights of freedom of speech?

From our vantage point, the students attempted to express their 1st Amendment rights and were prevented and/or dissuaded from doing so.

Additionally, it seems like a certain group of adults may have violated law and school policy by their actions against the students and that behavior may not have been addressed, leaving the students’ health and safety at risk.

If you know our history, you will see that we sued and settled with the South Orange-Maplewood school district, in part, for civil rights violations against Black students.

We will be closely monitoring the facts and circumstances regarding the students in your school district to ensure that their rights and privileges have not been violated.  We implore you to focus on the health and safety of your students since they are your most valuable and primary constituency.

Best regards,

James H. Davis III

Chairperson

Black Parents Workshop

blackparentsworkshop.org