Great Barrington — One week after controversy developed over the Police Department’s investigation at W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School over the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” representatives from Berkshire Hills Regional School District issued a statement on Tuesday, December 19.
The statement, which was sent to local media, parents, and school district staff members, was co-signed by School District Superintendent Peter Dillon and School Committee Chair Stephen Bannon:
BHRSD Community,
We want to clearly and unequivocally state that the school district does not support banning books. Also, we are committed to ensuring that all students feel safe as we support an inclusive environment at our schools.
The recent incident at the middle school has challenged and impacted our community. Faced with an unprecedented police investigation of what should be a purely educational issue, we tried our best to serve the interests of students, families, teachers, and staff. In hindsight, we would have approached that moment differently. We are sorry. We can do better to refine and support our existing policies. We are committed to supporting all our students, particularly vulnerable populations.
In the coming weeks, we will hold and schedule several meetings to explain what happened, gather feedback, and articulate shifts going forward. This includes a scheduled School Committee meeting on January 11 at 6 PM.
We appreciate the emails and letters we have received asking us to do better and we celebrate the high school students’ call to oppose book banning and work against hate. We support the notions articulated in a recent parents’ petition. It is the obligation of the district to use its policies, existing or amended, to select curriculum. In this case, the content was not the issue. The process challenging it was. We want to ensure that students and staff feel safe and supported and that families’ voices are heard.
We look forward to listening, discussing, and reflecting together to support our schools in providing the opportunities and climate all our students deserve.
When asked, Dillon said that, while the school committee meeting has been scheduled for January 11, the other meetings have not yet been scheduled. He also did not say if the other meetings would be public or not.
