2月9日から開始した上記署名活動では、3月22日までの間に2,242人という多くの皆様に貴重な署名を頂くことが出来ました。

松村謙三氏の理事退任はまだ実現しておりませんが、武蔵野東学園の理事として適格でないということに、これだけ多くの市民にご賛同を得たという声を届けられたことには大きな意義があると考えております。

多大なご協力を賜りましたことに、心より感謝申し上げます。

署名活動を終了したことをここにご報告させて頂きます。

武蔵野東学園を守る会

2024年3月30日

 

English follows Japanese.

私たちは、東京都武蔵野市にある私立武蔵野東学園の保護者有志です。武蔵野東学園は、60年前から創設者北原キヨ先生の下、自閉症児と健常児が共に学ぶ混合教育を実施してきました。熱意ある教員の指導と学園を愛する保護者の強い絆によって、自由な校風が保たれ、障がいの有無にかかわりなく全ての子どもにとってかけがえのない教育の場となってきました。

しかし今、平和で静かな子どもたちの学びの場が、奪われようとしています。

ハズキルーペ会長の松村謙三氏が、本年3月27日に学園理事長に就任することが内定したことがその発端です。松村氏が副理事長になって以降、暴行や多様性理解を欠いた発言等様々な事件が起きています。『週刊文春』で報じられたとおり、今年１月には高等専修学校で、意に沿わない発言をした生徒に対し「文句があるなら学校を辞めればいい」などと発言し、また退学勧告を出すと脅して謝罪文の提出を要求するという暴挙にも出ました。

教育現場に相応しいとは思えない松村氏の言動は、学内のみならず地域の皆様にも向けられております。2023年12月12日の中学校の保護者説明会において、松村氏は、長年禁止されていた車での送迎を許可するにあたり、知り合いである警察庁関係者に電話をして「住民対策」をすると述べたうえで、「周辺の住人に関しては、学校が過剰に反応している。それに振り回されすぎ」「苦情を言う方がキチガイだ」などと極めて不適切な発言を繰り返しました。こうした態度にわたしたちは断固反対です。

いま、子どもたちの居場所を懸命に守って下さっているのは、現場の先生たちです。しかし、その先生たちにしても松村氏の意に沿わない人たちは、既に何人も不当な手続きによって解雇されています。また、昨年11月末時点で11人いた学園理事の数は、現在5名にまで減らされました。保護者や在校生の全くあずかり知らないところで、学園の統治体制が根本から覆されようとしています。

武蔵野東学園は、自閉症児に対する「友愛の心」、および健常児と自閉症児の「混合教育」を教育理念の根幹としてきました。ですが松村氏の言動は、本来守らなければならない学園の生徒の健全な育成や自由な発想等を阻害し、価値観の多様性を否定し、学園の理念と相容れないものです。

私たちは、このような人物が武蔵野東学園の理事長に就任することに強く反対します。私たちの学校は、子供たちが安心して成長できる場所であるべきです。そのためにも、松村謙三氏の理事長就任反対および理事退任を求めて広く市民の皆様に向けた署名活動を開始します。併せて今後、松村氏の家族・親族・関係者が理事会、評議会、アドバイザリーボードなど、学園の経営に一切関与することがないように求めます。

どうかあなたも、一緒に声を上げてください。この署名活動にご参加頂けると幸いです。

署名は、3月21日頃を目安に締め切らせていただきます。ご質問、ご不明な点は、どうぞお気軽に下記までお問い合わせください。また、Xのアカウント@higashiwomamoruで、随時情報を発信しております。

メールアドレス　musashinohigashimamoru@gmail.com　

ご協力のほどをよろしくお願い申し上げます。

支援金は不要です。ご署名だけいただければ幸いです。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

武蔵野東学園を守る会発起人

在校生保護者：島田賢治・石井広太朗・三好康之・烏谷昌幸・仁井谷尚之

卒業生保護者：都野信三・城洋之

 

  

 

We are a group of parents that have banded together to voice our disapproval and concern regarding Mr. Kenzo Matsumura, the newly appointed chairperson of Musashino Higashi Gakuen. Feeling that the safe haven for our children is in a deep state of crisis, and with an ever growing concern about the future of our school, we have formed this group.

 

In the past few months, Mr. Matsumura has been sending very threatening and harassing messages to students, faculty and parents.  There have been sudden displacements of key members of the faculty, and perplexing rule changes that go against the fundamental values of our school.  Unfortunately, this matter has been widely reported three times since January of this year on Bunshun Online, Japan's largest news site (https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/68646;​ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLsQV5Ybl4s&t=6s

 

Musashino Higashi Gakuen's core educational philosophy is to foster a "spirit of love and friendship" in all children through inclusive education for normal children and children with ASD.

However, Mr. Matsumura's words and actions obstruct the healthy upbringing and free thinking of the school's students, and deny the diversity of values, which is incompatible with the school's philosophy of coexistence.

 

We feel that his intentions are to eviscerate the school of the values and methods that made Higashi so special and unique.  We sense that the faculty that has been suddenly displaced, including Principal Watanabe of high school and Principal Kikuchi of junior high school are the ones who showed resistance to his methods.

 

Mr. Matsumura has openly ridiculed faculty in front of students and parents, and has verbally attacked some students even threatening to expel them. He has also threatened to socially ostracize an alumni unless given a written formal apology. These actions may seem unbelievable but they are true.  We have many witnesses and voice recordings to prove our case.

 

As an example of how Mr. Matsumura is not the right person to serve as chairperson of an educational institution, here is what he said at Musashino Higashi Elementary School Parent Meeting held in December 8, 2023.

 

There are 306 boarding schools in the US, and I was the only Japanese who’s ever served on the board.  In the country’s 150 year-history, I was the only one.  What’s more, all the other board members had blond hair.  You know, black people get killed in Boston, and that explains why it’s an all-white neighborhood.  The school was near Plymouth, a town you probably know from history books.  It was built by Puritans when they landed from England and massacred the Indians.  That’s why 98% of the Plymouth residents is white.  You rarely see Black people there, and that’s the kind of area where you will find a lot of prestigious boarding schools.

 

We believe this statement, in which he speaks proudly of being elected to the board in a predominantly white society, clearly demonstrates his lack of understanding of racial issues and significance of diversity, and is inconsistent with the values of the Musashino Higashi Gakuen's inclusive education for autistic children, who are one of the most vulnerable members of society. 

 

We are desperately trying to prevent Mr. Matsumura from taking over our school.  We would like to request his immediate removal from the board so that he can no longer damage our school, and so that we can protect the legacy of Kitahara Kiyo Sensei, the founder of Higashi. We would like to ask everyone involved in the school, including graduates, parents of graduates, students planning to enroll in the new school year, teachers, former teachers, and those who attend Musashino Higashi Education Center, to lend us their support in signing this petition.

 

We plan to submit this petition to the Musashino Higashi Gakuen Board of Directors in order to request Mr. Matsumura’s resignation as Chairperson. In addition, we request that his family, relatives, and related parties no longer have any involvement in the management of the school, including the board of directors, council, and advisory board.

 

 Please sign and share this petition today if you agree and show your support for Musashino Higashi Gakuen. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. 

Please contact us if you have any questions via e-mail: musashinohigashimamoru@gmail.com.

 

Concerned Parents Devoted to Protect the Values and Children of Musashino Higashi Gakuen

 

 

A voice of a parent of Student at Musashino Higashi Specialized High School 

 

My daughter was not able to go to school for 5 1/2 years from elementary school to junior high.

After joining Musashino Higashi Specialized High School and meeting great friends and great teachers, she has miraculously been able to go to school every day.

However, at the student meeting in January of this year, vice chairman Matsumura told her to quit school in a very threatening way, just because she expressed her own opinion.

Principled Ishibashi astonishingly said to her that Mr. Matsumura was deeply hurt by what my daughter said. Does he think my 17-year-old daughter was not devastated by the traumatic experience?

After the ordeal, she has not been able to sleep at night, and she cannot concentrate on her schoolwork.

She is traumatized by her encounter with Matsumura.

My daughter says every morning “I don’t want to go to school” but she still gets up every morning and musters the strength to go to school because of the teachers and fellow students. Her friends, including those in the inclusive education class who are in the ASD spectrum continue to give her the courage and energy to go to school every day.

This is exactly what daily life therapy is and why Musashino Higashi is so special.

We are determined to preserve the environment at Musashino Higashi no matter what it takes. A school where children feel safe and secure, and parents feel comfortable and trusting their children to teachers is a treasure of life. Furthermore, Musashino Higashi is not just an ordinary school. Destroying the school’s founding principles, and leaving it at the mercy of Mr. Matsumura is extremely dangerous for our children and the future of inclusive education.