The controversy stirred by Heritage High School student Charles Chandler is reflective of a larger national trend and should spark robust discussion throughout Evergreen Public Schools.
During remarks at an all-school assembly last week, the graduating senior veered off a script that had been approved by administrators and said: “And to you underclassmen, who have to endure all the things the school will throw at you for two or three more years, a school where the administration closes their eyes to everything that happens in the school. The sexual assault, the bullying, the depression, the outcasts, and they do nothing to fix it.”
The remarks were shocking to many. Video of the speech received national attention, administrators barred Chandler from participating in graduation ceremonies, and dozens of students (one media account said more than 100) walked out of school the following day in support of Chandler.
In the aftermath, discussion has ranged from the appropriateness of using a graduation assembly for the airing of grievances to the accuracy of Chandler’s remarks.
District spokeswoman Gail Spolar said: “The school and district did investigate these incidents fully and completely immediately after they were reported. The statements made during (Wednesday’s) speech are not reflective of what the investigations found.” Some students told The Columbian of instances in which they have been bullied or assaulted but felt that their concerns were not taken seriously by school officials.
In using a school assembly to raise important issues, Chandler risked scorn from administrators and some students, but it is difficult to say that was an inappropriate use of his platform. If there are, indeed, problems at Heritage or other schools in the area, they require attention. Chandler has effectively raised those questions.
We live in an era in which women have become emboldened to speak out against sexual assault. In which students, led by those in Parkland, Fla., protest gun violence. In which those who have witnessed and lived through police violence against minorities insist that Black Lives Matter.
Rather than telling those people that now is not the time to raise issues, the response should be to question why people feel compelled to use high-profile platforms to air grievances. At what point do we acknowledge that something might be wrong instead of telling protesters that this is not the appropriate place for an objection? At what point do we work to prevent the next person from being violated rather than trying to shout down the criticism?
Chandler used a nonviolent avenue to bring up issues that have resonated with many Heritage students. School administrators and the community at large should be asking questions about his accusations and digging to the root of the issue rather than turning a deaf ear.
We trust that Evergreen district leaders will do that. And, it must be noted, at this point there is no reason to believe that incidents as serious as sexual assault have been overlooked.
But it is essential to remember that no problem has ever been solved by being ignored. Silence is tacit approval, and raising our voices against injustice is a duty of all Americans, not merely a right. Chandler is part of a generation that increasingly is demonstrating an understanding of that fact, a generation that is eager to speak up and help create the kind of society they deserve.
It is important that we listen.
