November 16, 2016

Dear Chamblee Charter High School Community,

We feel now is an appropriate time to reaffirm Chamblee Charter High Schools embrace of fundamental values that
embody our school, our teachers and staff, our larger community, and our nation.
Here at Chamblee, we celebrate the enduring pillars of our countrys democracy tolerance, acceptance, and respect
for people from all racial, ethnic, national, religious, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and gender identities. We
also respect our election processes, free press, freedom of expression, and peaceful transfers of power. These pillars of
American democracy align perfectly with our own schools core values integrity, honesty, fairness, respect, embrace of
diversity, service, self-control, self-discipline, personal responsibility, positive behavior, and academic excellence.
Our country has recently experienced one of the most contentious and tumultuous election cycles in memory. For
many months, we have seen images and encountered stories in media that contained inflammatory and offensive dialogue
and behavior. Some of the rhetoric and deeds we saw specifically targeted certain ethnicities, religious groups, and political
persuasions. Weve seen acts that were blatantly racist, insensitive, offensive, threatening, and even, at times, unlawful.
We recently conducted a series of voluntary student dialogues facilitated by members of our counseling department. In two
days, some 125 students participated. We meant for these dialogues to provide our students with a safe space to share
concerns, fears, feelings, experiences, and perceptions about recent political discourse.
These student dialogues were incredibly helpful. Our staff gained a first-hand understanding of students explicit
feelings, observations, and recent school experiences. In these conversations, students reported feeling a range of emotions,
including confusion, frustration, anxiety, fear, and anger. Some students shared unreported incidents of racist and religiously
insensitive comments among students at school, on school buses, and in social media. We are now investigating those
incidents, some first-hand accounts and others more general, to the best of our ability.
We want all members of our school community to understand the consequences of harassing verbal (or physical)
conduct by students. Such conduct violates DeKalb County Schools District (DCSD) Student Code of Conduct Rule 7G
(Harassment). Specific language from Rule 7G (DCSD Student Code of Conduct, 2016-2017, p. 34) states:
Harassment may be defined as offensive behavior (physical, verbal or nonverbal) that intentionally targets a specific person or
persons based on race, religion, gender, disability, or national origin. Examples of harassment include but are not limited to:
Harassment or intimidation motivated by any actual or perceived characteristic including race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender,
disability, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, physical attributes, socioeconomic status, physical or
mental ability, or by any other distinguishing characteristic

If a student is found to threaten, harass, intimidate, or demean another student at school, on a school bus, or in
social media, the consequences are clearly spelled out in the DCSD Student Code of Conduct, 2016-2017, p. 36:
1st Offense: 3 Days of In-School Suspension
2nd Offense: 5 Days of Out of School Suspension
3rd Offense: 10 Days of Out of School Suspension
4th Offense: Long-Term Suspension
5th Offense: Expulsion

Chamblee Charter High School

3688 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road | Chamblee, Georgia 30341 | 678-676-6902 | chambleehs.dekalb.k12.ga.us

At Chamblee, we strongly feel that harassment based on racism, sexism, xenophobia, gender bias, etc., violates our
values and threatens the very fabric of who we are as a country, community, and as a school. We will not tolerate harassing
behavior by any individual, on any level.
On Wednesday, November 16, we conducted grade-level meetings with all students to reinforce our schools core
values and expectations about bullying, mutual respect, and harassment. We articulated to our students the various
aspects of our schools new partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, the launch of our No Place For Hate campus
organization, and upcoming Chamblee Unity Days and Mix It Up Days.
We are extremely pleased with the high levels of enthusiasm so many students showed during these grade-level
meetings. We ask you to play a role as a parent or caretaker too. Create the opportunity at home to discuss with your
children the need to make choices at school, in the community, and online that reinforce our core values of respect and
inclusiveness for all. We ask that you discuss with your children these expectations for how students treat each other in the
words they use, the clothes they wear, and the things they type.
We thank you for your partnership and for your support of our efforts to foster a safe school climate for the
academic and emotional well-being of all Chamblee students.
Respectfully,

-Norman C. Sauce III, Ed.D.

Proud Principal

Chamblee Charter High School

3688 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road | Chamblee, Georgia 30341 | 678-676-6902 | chambleehs.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Chamblee Charter High School

3688 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road | Chamblee, Georgia 30341 | 678-676-6902 | chambleehs.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Chamblee Charter High School

3688 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road | Chamblee, Georgia 30341 | 678-676-6902 | chambleehs.dekalb.k12.ga.us