ROBERT J.

BOYLAN

1431 PARKERSBURG TURNPIKE

SWOOPE, VIRGINIA 24479
January 26, 2017

BY HAND and EMAIL

Mr. Jonathan Venn
Chief Human Resources Officer
Staunton City Schools
116 West Beverley Street
Staunton, Virginia 24401

Dear Mr. Venn:


I write on behalf of Susan Story, a gifted and highly qualified teacher who has
dedicated her life to serving the educational needs of her students. She has 28 years
of instructional experience, the last 10 with the Staunton School System, and currently teaches history to sixth grade students at Shelburne Middle School in Staunton.


On Thursday, January 19, 2017, as documented in her lesson plan for that
day, Ms. Story was working with students to explain how the United States expanded and gained new territories. The Standards of Learning, specifically SOL USI 8a,
call for students to understand territorial expansion and how it affected the political map of the United States with emphasis on the Louisiana Purchase, [etc.].


By way of background, the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from the
French in 1803 doubled the size of the United States, opening up huge expanses of
land west of the Mississippi and securing the river as well as the vital port of New
Orleans. The Louisiana Purchase was essential to our nations westward expansion.
To understand why the French government under Napoleon was willing to part with
this extremely valuable asset for the bargain price of $15 million, some slight
knowledge of events in the Caribbean is essential. The French colony of Saint
Domingue (present day Haiti) produced sugar grown on plantations that were cultivated under cruel conditions by enslaved persons of African origin. Toussaint Louverture, himself a former domestic slave, became the leader of a movement in the
colony that called for the abolition of slavery in Saint Domingue and established the
first autonomous Black state in the western hemisphere. By 1802, the slaves in Saint
Domingue had defeated both a British expeditionary force and an even larger
French contingent. Frances long range plans for the Louisiana Territory were based
on the anticipated need for resources from the mainland for the colony of Saint
Domingue. After France suffered a stunning reversal at the hands of the enslaved
Haitian population, the mainland was no longer needed by the French. The Louisiana Territory became more costly for France to defend than the $15 million that the
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Americans were willing to pay for its purchase. Meanwhile, President Thomas Jefferson, who was concerned abut the French takeover of New Orleans from the Spanish, had opened negotiations with France to acquire New Orleans. The American negotiators included future president James Monroe and New York lawyer Robert Livingston. They were aided unofficially by Pierre Samuel Dupont de Nemours, a minor
French nobleman and friend of Thomas Jeffersons, who emigrated to the United
States from France in 1799. Thanks to the successful slave uprising in Haiti, the negotiators, who initially sought to secure only the port of New Orleans, were presented with the opportunity to buy the entire Louisiana Territory.


Now, admittedly, the backstory to the Louisiana Purchase is somewhat complex, but the standards of learning dictate that it be taught and the Staunton School
Board has decreed that these lessons are appropriate for sixth graders. Ms. Story,
with her 28 years of experience, saw from her students glazed expressions on January 19 that they were not absorbing the information. She quickly decided on a roleplaying exercise to recreate the central participants in these events: the enslaved
population of Haiti, the American negotiators and Napoleon. She called on the African-American students in her class to play the role of the enslaved Haitians, the men
and women who threw off the chains of bondage, defeated two European armies,
abolished slavery in their country, and established the first independent Black state
in the Western Hemisphere. Other students played the remaining roles. The reenactment took perhaps five minutes, which was enough time for the students to
absorb and retain the lessons that had been ordained for them by the SOLs. No student expressed any objection at the time to the role-playing exercise.


However, one student apparently told his mother, Tamika Derozen, about his
experience. We dont know what he told her. The public has only her account, as reported by WHSV television station in Harrisonburg. According to her published version of the event, which she clearly did not witness, students were asked to act like
slaves for a skit, pretending to pick cotton and dig for coal. (Haiti was not known in
1803 for either cotton or coal). Ms. Derozen also omitted the part about the slaves
winning the rebellion and paving the way for Americas westward expansion by creating the conditions for the Louisiana Purchase. In addition to being an incomplete
account, other aspects, such as the alleged refusal of some students to participate in
the lesson, are simply not accurate.


Before getting in touch with WHSV, Ms. Derozen called the principal of Shelburne Middle School to complain about the skit. According to Ms. Derozens account,
as relayed by WHSV, [t]he principal apologized. She explained to me that she told
the teacher you can't single out a group of children based on their race. In any
event, the principal informed Ms. Story of Ms. Derozens concerns on Friday, January
20. The focus of the mothers complaint, as conveyed to Ms. Story, was that she had
asked the African-American students in her class to play the role of Haitian slaves
who liberated themselves from French rule.

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In thinking about Ms. Derozens objection over the weekend, Ms. Story reflected on the lesson she was teaching. The historical facts were clear: Toussaint
Louverture and his followers had been held in slavery and they were all of African
descent. In trying to teach this undisputed historical fact to modern sixth graders,
would it make more sense to ask African-American students to play the role of the
revolutionary Haitians or to invite Caucasian students to portray the leaders of the
successful uprising? So, on Monday, January 23, she posed that question to her class
using a poster from the film version of Alex Haleys Roots and a photograph of a
white actor as classroom exhibits. She asked the class why the makers of the series
didnt choose Brad Pitt to play Kunte Kinte in the film version of Roots. They responded without hesitation that the story was about an African-American, so why
use a white actor to portray him?1 As Ms. Story has stated, she did not want to ignore the complaint that had been made by one mother. However, she also did not
want any of her students to think that the classroom re-enactment was intended in
any way to diminish any of them and she clearly told them so. Although the sixth
graders appear to have understood the point, Ms. Derozen characterized Mondays
interchange, which she also did not witness, as telling the African-American students that you better fit the role as a slave. Ms. Story flatly denies making any such
statement. That disparity suggests that Ms. Derozens secondhand version of these
events is informed and motivated more by her preconceptions than by what actually
happened.


On Tuesday, January 24, 2017, Ms. Story was summoned to your office at the
School Board for the purpose of giving a statement concerning these events. She was
not told the Boards legal basis for demanding the statement or what use would be
made of it. She asked to have a personal representative present while she gave the
statement and was informed she could not have one. She was taken to a locked office and presented with an ultimatum: provide a statement, alone, without counsel,
or face disciplinary proceedings that could range from a letter of reprimand to dismissal. Although I am grateful that you eventually allowed me to be present while
she gave her statement, most observers would agree that those procedures fall short
of the Boards published policy of treat[ing] all members of the school community
equitably with the highest degree of respect. School Board Policy and Recommendations, Section A: Foundations and Basic Commitments, file AD.


After some research, I infer that your role in this matter is predicated on
School Board Policy and Recommendations, Section G: Personnel, file GBA/JFHA,
PROHIBITION AGAINST HARASSMENT AND RETALIATION in which you are designated as the Compliance Officer for the aforesaid policy, with the duty to receive
1

Controversy over the casting of Caucasians to play the roles of other ethnicities dates back at
least as far as Iago in Shakespeares Othello, and more recently in the 1930s in the Charlie Chan
series, where a heavily made up Caucasian actor played the role of the Asian protagonist. Such
casting would today be considered racist or at least racially insensitive. In any event, Ms. Story
agreed with the principals request concerning role-playing.

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reports or complaints of harassment [and] conduct or oversee the investigation of

any alleged harassment. I further assume that your demand for a statement from
Ms. Story was made in the context of overseeing an investigation of alleged harassment. May I suggest that common courtesy as well as the Boards professed policy of
treat[ing] all members of the school community equitably with the highest degree
of respect would dictate at least an explanation to Ms. Story that a complaint had
been received that you were investigating in accordance with the aforementioned
policies.


Harassment refers to the condition of being harassed. Websters Third New
International Dictionary (1986). To harass is to worry and impede by repeated attacks, . . . to tire out, . . . to vex, trouble or annoy continually or chronically. Id. In addition to the notion of repeated behavior which these definitions imply, there is also
the matter of intent: the conduct which constitutes harassment must be intended to
produce the vexing, troubling or annoying result. Based solely on the plain meaning
of the word, as defined in Webster, nothing that happened in Ms. Storys classroom
could possibly be interpreted by an objective observer (i.e., someone who does not
have an ax to grind or a preconceived affront to whinge about) as harassment. It was
a solitary, isolated, one-time event, not part of a series of vexing or repeated conduct.


In addition to the plain dictionary meaning of the word harassment, the
Boards written policy provides some useful examples: graffiti containing racially
offensive language; name calling, jokes or rumors; physical acts of aggression
against a person or his property because of that persons race, national origin, disability or religion; hostile acts which are based on anothers race, national origin, religion or disability; written or graphic material which is posted or circulated and
which intimidates or threatens individuals based on their race, national origin, disability or religion. Policy and Regulations, Section G: Personnel, file GBA/JFHA. Even
if one accepted every word of Ms. Derozens account, it is clear that nothing done or
said by Ms. Story amounted to graffiti, name calling, physical acts of aggression, hostile acts, intimidation, or threats.


In an effort to shed further light on Ms. Storys intent in conducting this lesson, please permit me to offer some additional information about her. As she mentioned during her interview on January 23, she has visited Haiti before. I asked her
afterward about the purpose of her trip. She had gone on a mission to help an orphanage for Haitian children. During the same interview, Ms. Story spoke of her efforts to inculcate her students with the concept of empathy. She has the word posted
in her classroom. I asked her later about its significance. She explained her view of
the importance of that quality in teaching sixth graders about civic virtues. She said
that she related a story to them at the beginning of the year to illustrate the words
meaning. It involved a white man in a southern town who grew up with bigotry and
hatred in his heart. An unpredictable event in his life threw him into a situation in
which he was obliged to work with an African-American woman. Over time, and
with enormous patience and restraint on her part, she overcame his harsh attitude
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and the two became friends as well as colleagues. There are pictures of both next to
the word Empathy in Ms. Storys classroom. Ms. Derozens son was apparently not
present when Ms. Story offered that example of empathy. On yet another occasion,
several years ago, Ms. Story sought to give her students a concrete example of the
difficulties that African-Americans faced as recently as a few decades ago. She invited former city councilman Ophie Kier, among others, to speak to her class about racial disparities that they had encountered in their lives.


These examples of Ms. Storys actions over the years clearly illustrate two
things: first and most important, there is no fiber of racial animosity in her being.
Bigotry is anathema to her. Would a racist go to Haiti to help orphan children in that
tragic land? Would a racist offer a story of patience and reconciliation between a
Black woman and a white bigot to her class to teach them about empathy? Would a
racist bring in a respected member of Stauntons African-American community to
tell her students, both Black and white, the reality of past racial injustices. Of course
not. Simply asking the questions exposes the ridiculousness of the charge. The second point, also important, is that Ms. Story is a creative, dedicated teacher, who
looks for and finds ways to make lessons real for her students, in a way that they can
comprehend. Her commitment to her chosen profession leads her to spend her own
money for classroom materials and devote countless unpaid hours to the job. This is
a person who is selflessly devoted to her students' well-being and success.


This wonderful woman, who I have known and admired for 30 years, has
been accused and convicted of racism in the press, without any opportunity to defend herself. Had the principal dealt more effectively with Ms. Derozen, she could
have defused the situation. Instead she appeared to concede with little or no evidence that Ms. Story was guilty of racism. The superintendent followed suit. The
weak qualification to the superintendents remarks ( If such behavior occurred . . .)
taken in context with the remainder of the statement was a virtual concession, again
without evidence, of the teachers guilt.



Following the meeting at your office on January 23, Ms. Story was placed on
administrative leave by the principal, who had been present at the meeting, and
suspended from her teaching position. She has been barred from school premises.
Her school email accounts and access to electronic files have been blocked. When
asked why and on what basis these actions were being taken, the principal provided
no answers. All of this has had a devastating effect on Ms. Story. This type of treatment might be appropriate for an accused sexual predator, someone from whom
students need to be protected. To act this way against a dedicated teacher in these
circumstances is baseless and reprehensible. It is also inconsistent with the goal of
promoting the employment and retention of highly qualified personnel. Moreover,
it strongly suggests to outside observers that you have prejudged the matter of her
culpability.


Knowing you to be a responsible professional, I do not believe this to be the
case. I am confident that after what I hope will be a quick resolution of this matter,
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she will be reinstated. However, the damage to her reputation has been done. In
large part, the media are responsible. Nevertheless, the principal and the School
Board have their share of
responsibility as well. I urge you to minimize these destructive effects by moving
promptly to reinstate her and to resolve this matter with her complete exoneration.







Sincerely,









Robert J. Boylan




cc:
Robert Boyle
Amy Guffey Darby
Laura Kleiner
William Lobb, Vice-Chair
Ronald Ramsey, Chair
Linda G. Reviea, Ed.D.

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