Cal High PE teacher Lenard Matthews said he was verbally attacked by a student who used racial slurs, including the n-word, after breaking up a fight in late March.
Matthews, who is African-American, believes that Cal’s community should have been notified about the racially charged incident afterwards.
The week before spring break during lunch, Matthews broke up a fight between two students in the quad. After he separated the students, Matthews said one of the boys started yelling the n-word at him. The student who used the slur is white.
Matthews said he immediately walked the student to the office and later that day narrated the incident to two administrators.
“I feared for my African/Black American students and their families in particular as the verbal abuse I suffered could easily be turned directly towards them,” Matthews said.
Union president Laura Finco, who heads the San Ramon Valley Education Association (SRVEA), has been looking into the situation.
Finco said in response to the union, Cal Principal Demetrius Ball stated he was unaware that Matthews’ experience was considered an assault. Ball did not report the incident to the school community.
“I cannot comment on why Principal Ball wouldn’t consider what Mr. Matthews experienced an assault,” Finco said.
Matthews said it was the first time he had ever been verbally assaulted on campus in his 22 years at Cal. But what concerned him most was the school community was not made aware of the incident.
“I personally hope that staff, students and student families will diligently seek answers as to why they were not informed of this assault,” Matthews said.
Finco said in past cases regarding acts of hate, especially concerning racial slurs, the entire community was notified.
“In fact, a portion of the CHS student body was notified about hate speech just recently,” Finco said. “But site administration made the determination that what Mr. Matthews experienced did not merit community notification.”
Cal’s administration decides what events to report to the community. Ball said since only a small number of people were affected, the entire campus did not need to be informed, unlike other incidents such as the racist graffiti of Cal’s homecoming floats in September.
Ball declined to comment further about the incident involving Matthews.
Matthews is aware of the consequences the student faced after using racially charged language toward him. But he said he could not disclose that information because it involves student discipline.
Students may be suspended or recommended for expulsion if the superintendent or principal determines that they intentionally engaged in harassment, threats or intimidation against anyone on campus, according to section 48900.4 of the California Education Code.
But schools are also required to follow practices of restorative justice to educate students about the impact of their actions. Superintendents and principals are encouraged to provide alternatives to suspension or expulsion using a “research-based framework” or strategies that improve behavioral and academic outcomes.
This is not the first racially motivated verbal attack against a Cal teacher in recent years. English teacher Eghosa Obaizamomwan Hamilton, who is African-American, faced a racially charged situation where a student yelled at her in late 2016.
The student had previously worn what looked like a KKK costume on Halloween and posted a picture of burning a Hilary Clinton flag on Snapchat. This incited many students in Hamilton’s social justice class to talk about how uncomfortable that made them feel.
The student wasn’t in any of Hamilton’s classes, but he approached her in her classroom after school and told her to check her students and keep his name out of their mouths.
“I let that student know that that’s not how I operate and my students are free to say what they want [and] how they feel,” Hamilton said. “He essentially spent the next 25-30 minutes accosting me about everything.”
The student was removed from Hamilton’s class. But the next day, she learned the boy was still on campus and received no punishment.
“Some teachers went down to talk to admin, like, how is that student still here with the way they were disrespectful?” Hamilton said. “I believe the student was then suspended for a day.”
This incident occurred under another principal’s administration.
As for Matthews’ case, Hamilton believes it is troubling to have any student feel comfortable talking to an adult that way.
Matthews still does not understand why no one was informed about the confrontation.
“I am not sure why the students, student families, staff and Cal High community as a whole were not notified of this incident,” Matthews said.
