We, the Black Student Union of SR, demand that Royce be reinstated as the head of campus security at San Rafael High School.

Mr. Hughes has been a constant figure that we’ve grown to rely on, as well as the entire SR community. He's been here for more years than we can remember. He consistently expressed support and affinity for our organization. He made a point to recognize how important our mission is; to support African Americans in our school community. We would have never imagined that we would’ve needed to support him in the way that we are right now, because we’re still in utter shock that the heart of our campus, our advocate and friend to all, has been put on leave. 

Mr. Hughes, one of the only black staff members on campus, has been subjected to multiple racial attacks. The most recent instance, which included Mr. Hughes being called the "n" word from a student, resulted in him taking the following action based upon what we have heard from various sources: knocking food out of the student's hands (as this was not the first time that this particular student had done this), unfairly leaving his job in jeopardy. Not only that, but the student was suspended and is now back on campus without further recourse. All of this has come from word of mouth; the lack of information from the administration is one of the reasons why we are writing this petition. Why have we learned about the fact that our most well known staff member has been put on leave from other students?  We deserve to understand what’s happening to one of our most beloved staff members.

As mentioned, Mr. Hughes is one of the only black staff members on campus. Not only does that make him a beacon for us Black students on campus, but seeing a Black man in a position of authority and respect allows us to see a part of ourselves and believe that we too might be able to achieve bigger things. Seeing a person we hold in such high regard be subject to consistent hate speech has a tremendously negative impact upon us (an extreme minority on campus). It’s no secret that the “n” word is frequently used on this campus. It’s also obvious that NO work is  being done to address it. Suspending a student for repeatedly verbally assaulting a staff member with the most disgusting racial slurs imaginable doesn’t solve the problem. In a school that claims to value “equity” and “diversity”, this is shocking. The lack of communication, accountability, and restorative practices have left us feeling frustrated and not supported. If this campus tolerates students hurling vicious hate speech and racial taunts at a well respected and admired adult, how can we feel safe? 

As a result, we request that:

- Mr. Royce Hughes be reinstated.

- The student be referred to the Peer Advocate team. 

- That administration contact an outside organization like the NAACP to implement a whole school assembly.