Student voices bring about district change as OASD enacts directive regarding racist language

Is a certain level of censorship necessary to maintain respect and comfort inside of classrooms? A new directive has been implemented in the Oshkosh Area School District that prohibits teachers from reading racial slurs aloud from texts, instead instructing them to skip over offending passages. Along with this, audiobooks and movies that use such slurs are also not to be shown in large groups. 

The need for this change arose when West’s Black Student Union, or BSU, brought attention to the use of racial slurs in texts and how they were sometimes presented in class. It was discussed over the span of several meetings before  staff advisor and special education instructor Beth Flannery and sophomore Micah Troedel, who make up a part of the BSU’s executive team, decided to take action.

“In the initial conversation between BSU members and [OASD Director of Equity] Anthony Miller, students raised this issue as one of the most harmful experiences they have had at West,” Flannery and Troedel said. “Students expressed that they have tried to talk to staff about these issues in the past, with mixed results. They have not always felt heard and taken seriously.”

Oshkosh West Principal Lewis Malzcewski believes the initiative offers a solution that supports all students.

“The directive is about teachers needing to make sure that they’re not having students read racial slurs and disrespectful comments aloud in class,” he said. “The directive that was brought to us by the district was brought to us to make sure that we’re not showing any disrespect towards any students that may be in our building. It’s not necessarily related to any particular student or member of the student body, but just kind of in general.” 

The BSU executive team had similar thoughts.

 “The intention behind this message is not to say that teachers are purposely ignoring student complaints, rather we feel that it is our job to clarify and make teachers aware of our feelings and experiences,” they said.

BSU Student President and sophomore Miyah Thomas hopes this new directive acts as a preventative measure to stop students from using derogatory language.

 “A lot of kids feel like reading these texts aloud is pushing the n-word out there for people to use even more because ‘it’s in the book’ or ‘it’s in the movie.’ It’s not teaching students that this was how it was for the people of color back in time,” she said. “And others do feel like if this book is read in school, you shouldn’t be forced to read this book. It should be optional and never chosen to be read aloud.”

Sponsors of the directive hope it will improve the classroom atmosphere and make it a more comfortable environment for everyone.

“Students will no longer have to attend classes where they feel offended and targeted by the speech used by their teachers,” said the executive team. “This also sends a message to staff that these words are never appropriate no matter how much they are part of a historical novel or event. The directive aims to make West a safer place for our students of color, LGBTQ+, and other minority communities. This directive also eliminates the hostile environment previously created by the use of these words.”

Malzcewski finds that the directive adds another element of security to the school.

“I think, ultimately, safety is one of the biggest priorities in our school district,” he said. “Before I came to West, we did similar things to make sure that our kids felt safe every single day and this is a step to have that happen here.”  

Thomas agrees that the new directive makes learning easier.

 “I think it definitely makes the black and brown students at Oshkosh West more comfortable being in their classrooms with students who don't quite look like them,” she said. 

This initiative takes strides towards a more equal and respectful school environment, according to Malzcewski. 

“In my mind and in the district's mind, we’re going to be in this community and treat each other respectfully,” he said. “If we’re not using derogatory terms, and we’re not using inappropriate racial slurs, we’re going to build a better, stronger community.”

by Kassandra Bowlus-Jasinski

Published October 30 2023

Oshkosh West Index vol 120 Issue II