High Tech reverses course: agrees to reprint "88"- tagged yearbooks

In a surprising turnabout, High Tech High School Superintendent Amy Lin-Rodriguez announced in a statement last evening that the Class of 2020 Yearbook will be reprinted in its entirety.

TAGGED YEARBOOKS

It started in late June, when Class of 2020 students took to Twitter to report that a fellow classmate had inserted white supremacist code into their yearbook. Immediately,  parents began contacting Superintendent Lin-Rodriquez. They informed her that anti-Semitic code for "Heil Hitler"- the number 88- had been slipped into the yearbook as a "Student Quote."  

Failure to respond resulted in parents creating a petition asking for a replacement page, recognition that a hate symbol had appeared in the yearbook and an apology for  harm done to students and the community. This petition has 1,258 signatures to-date. 

Finally, on July 3, the HTHS superintendent issued a statement which read in part:

"There is misinformation circulating on social media regarding this matter, which is damaging to the HCST community and beyond. The HCST Administration communicated with concerned individuals and acted immediately through a Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) investigation with the best interest of the students, school and the community at-large.

After a thorough investigation led by the HCST’s HIB Coordinator, it has been concluded that the student who wrote the number '88' in the High Tech High School yearbook had no ill-intentions or knowledge of the negative connotation associated with that number. The student was referring to a park in the municipality in which the student resides; disrespect wasn’t the intention. This finding has been reviewed by the school district's legal counsel and presented to the Board of Education, and at this point the investigation is considered closed."

And:

"To provide a recourse for any student who no longer wishes to possess this year’s edition of the HTHS yearbook, a full refund of the purchase price will be available to any student interested in returning it."

PARENTS, RABBIS TAKE ACTION 

Whoa.

It would be an understatement to say that this response infuriated parents, students and members of the Jewish community. The statement deflected all responsibility for the school's publication of  widely-used anti-Semitic code and the impact that had on many parents and students. It further insulted the HTHS community by suggesting the remedy was a business transaction, a return of money.  Sure, kids. Surrender your yearbook for a refund or keep it with the "Heil Hitler" tag.  

Thanks to the activism of parents, students, rabbis who notified local politicians, local and national media and Jewish non-profit organizations, somehow the ground shifted.  Make no mistake, it was the agitation of the HTHS community that pushed politicians into action, and got media coverage like this:

CHANGE OF HEART 

On July 22, the HTHS community received Superintendent Amy Lin-Rodriguez' change of heart statement.   

The school's "closed" investigation had somehow discovered "a number of items that undermine the positive [High School] experience" and "this is not due to any one particular item" but  "the entire publication must be reprinted."  An excerpt:

"Upon close review, it has become apparent that the entire publication must be reprinted. The administrative team has come to an agreement that the Class of 2020 deserves a yearbook reflective of their time spent at HTHS that commemorates the valuable lessons and positive memories that will last a lifetime. There are a number of items in the yearbook that undermine that positive experience and we will correct that. Please be aware that this is not due to any one particular item, but rather that we have reached the conclusion that the entire publication does not meet the high standards to which we hold ourselves. Due to the realities of COVID-19, this publication was not reviewed in the usual manner. I would like to think that had we not been faced with the pandemic and health related school closure, proper oversight would have occurred and the final product would have been an appropriate tribute to the Class of 2020. 

As a school district, we plan to use this as an opportunity to learn and appreciate the experience as a

teachable moment. Moving forward, we will work together as a community to educate ourselves in

language and symbols to ensure that nothing is published without thorough vetting. We are committed to taking steps to increase programming to better facilitate our district’s values of a diverse learning community and pride in our schools – only our collective actions and unified voices will demonstrate our commitment."

LESSONS LEARNED?
Like the adage goes: it's not the crime, it's the cover-up.   Honest mistakes happen.  As the parent of a High Tech Class of 2020 graduate who is not versed in neo-Nazi code, it was understandable how this could have slipped through. I truly believe there was no bad intent on the part of the school, and assumed they'd do the right thing. When they didn't- when the Superintendent arrogantly dismissed the matter and North Bergen patronage wagons circled to protect their own- I felt very different. The door slamming in my face, in the face of parents and students, was not reflective of the warm, caring, responsive teachers and faculty from my experience.

Advice to High Tech Administration: fire your Secaucus political public relations firm. 

Why does a school even use a political public relations firm?  Hire a public relations firm that knows how to handle sensitive matters like these and in a timely fashion. Your political PR firm handled it like a political problem- not the moral and ethical problem which it was.  It is obvious they work for a political boss and not the school.  They botched this very delicate matter, big time.

MOVING FORWARD
Now that Superintendent has admitted their yearbook is not an "appropriate tribute" to the Class of 2020, a "appropriate tribute" should be provided to every student, not "every student who wants one."

Given the pandemic and the struggles of working from home, parents should not be asked to bring books back to the school for an exchange.  HTHS should mail new yearbooks addressed to each graduate. If HTHS wants the old yearbooks, let them put  postage paid envelopes in the package.

Too expensive?  Maybe a few overpaid County hacks can underwrite the cost.

THANKFUL
I am thankful that my kid will have a new yearbook that isn't tagged with code for "Heil Hitler." 

I'm thankful for Weehawken parent Brian Osborne, who lead the charge along with Hoboken parent Lyle Hysen, Hoboken Rabbi Scheinberg, Jersey City's Rabbi Morritt, and all the parents and kids who worked behind the scenes, to keep the pressure up and the issue alive..

I'm thankful for the politicians who expressed support on the record, like the Hoboken City Council who unanimously passed a resolution of support sponsored by Phil Cohen and Emily Jabbour, and off-the-record.

I'm thankful for those politicians who worked behind-the-scenes, engaged in quiet diplomacy, and preferred to handle it that way. 

And yes, I am thankful that the HTHS will take action so that the Class of 2020 has yearbooks untarnished by hate.