Walkout at Oakland Mills High School Calls for End to Hate, More Transparency

COLUMBIA, MD — Dozens of students walked out of class Wednesday morning in Columbia during a planned demonstration to show they would not accept racism in their school.

The walkout came a week after students were notified that a peer had made an offensive post on social media when a white student posted pictures of himself with a racist, violent statement online.

"This kind of behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated," Principal Katherine Orlando said in a letter at the time. "I am in contact with parents and appropriate action is being taken."

Since then, officials have declined to be specific about disciplinary action resulting fromwhat the principal described as a "racially offensive and hurtful post...on social media."

The white student at Oakland Mills alluded to shooting someone based on skin color in his post.

Oakland Mills High School students have created a petition calling for transparency, requiring notification of those who attend the school when there is danger and whether any student who has posed a threat will be returning. Students say they do not feel safe in the current environment.

"People should have the right to be informed if the student is expelled or when the student returns to the school/school system," students wrote in their proposal. "When people are left without information, they are in constant fear that the threatening student will return. At this point in time, administration and HCPSS cannot share any knowledge of the student’s return or lack thereof. The feeling of safety is jeopardized when students are not informed properly."

The change.org petition, addressed to the Howard County Board of Education, had more than 600 signatures as of 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

The Oakland Mills High School student's post was at least the third instance of racism on social media in the past month that has led to disciplinary review in the Howard County Public School System.

An Atholton High School student shared a selfie with her white face in a chocolate mask plus text containing a racial slur earlier this month, and at River Hill High School, another student shared a photo of a white girl holding a gun, accompanied by threatening racist language.

The school system's policy on responsible use of social media indicates that in cases that "may pose a safety threat, an investigation will be conducted in consultation and cooperation with the Superintendent/Designee" and also that there will be "in cases of probable or potential harm to an individual, appropriate follow-through and communication with the individual in danger..."

The school system stands by its code of conduct in its handling of each case.

"These incidents have been handled in accordance with the school system's student code of conduct," John White, spokesman for the Howard County Public School System, said in an email. The code of conduct outlines the disciplinary framework regulating student behavior.

White noted that the school system's definition of disruption is as follows, per the code of conduct: "Intentionally engaging in behavior distracting from the learning environment or school related activities including behavior that originates off campus and/or affects the safety of others. (This can include the use of technology and social media.)”

On the school system's scale of disciplinary actions, which range from one to five, disruption can result in anywhere from a level one to level-four response. Level-one responses are things like writing an apology, while level four may require in-school or short-term suspension.

Disruption does not meet the standard of a level-five response, which includes options such as long-term out-of-school suspension, expulsion and a request for alternative educational setting.

Related:

• 'Racially Offensive' Post Leads to Action: Oakland Mills HS Principal
• Racist Pictures from Howard County Students Prompt Police Investigation, Conversation
• Post-It Note Kindness Catching On in Columbia

Photos by Elizabeth Janney.