An update from Superintendent Fraser regarding the Starbucks incident!

Dear CR School Community

The Council Rock School District has been made aware that the Newtown Borough Police Department has filed one count of Harassment and one count of Criminal Mischief against a First Student employee who drives a bus for the District. The charges arise out of an incident that occurred on June 1 in Newtown Borough in the area of 100 South State Street (read "Let's Make Sure Racism Has No Place in Newtown!"). While the District firmly believes the individual charged is entitled to due process, our transportation department has notified First Student that the individual may no longer serve as a driver in the Council Rock School District.

This incident comes on the heels of the senseless murder of George Floyd, which many of us have horrifically watched on television. Like many, I’ve been shocked and shaken by this murder and also by the murder of Ahmaud Arbery just days before. As the CR community, I urge all of us to come together as one to combat any hate crime, any hate speech, and all forms of racism. It’s important that we’re unified and that we are there for each other. I urge you to surround each other as one community with all the love, compassion, and kindness that we all possibly have to offer. We all need it, and our African-American friends in particular need it right now.

Now I want to take an opportunity to write directly to our CR students. I want you to know that every student in the Council Rock School District – EVERY SINGLE STUDENT – is accepted, valued, and welcomed with open arms. There is a safe space for every single CR student in our schools. I wrote earlier this week that tolerance is not nearly the standard. We are not interested in merely tolerating the wonderful diversity that we do have in CR; rather, we embrace, value, and celebrate our collective diversity. We celebrate it because ultimately it makes us better, individually and collectively. To every CR student… we love you and we will build dreams with you. We also miss you dearly and can’t wait until our schools can reopen. In the meantime, if you feel a need to discuss these incidents with an adult, please talk with a parent or trusted friend, or contact your school counselor or another adult at school. Please be well, stay well, and stick with each other. Depend on each other. Lead with love – and live a life full of kindness and compassion for all people. I’ll do the same. We’ll all be better for it in the end.

Warmly-

Dr. Robert Fraser

Superintendent of Schools

Posted on 04 Jun 2020, 16:20 - Category: Discrimination