“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” - James Baldwin

We invite you to support current and former students and teachers at Washington Academy who have experienced discrimination and harassment by signing the petition below. We believe the current administration of Washington Academy and the Board of Trustees has created a systemic and institutionalized culture of discrimination within our school. This student-led initiative invites community members, Washington Academy alums, and the current student body to join us in petitioning and commit to creating real and positive structural change. 

Students, alums, teachers, and staff need community support to hold our school Board of Trustees and Administration accountable and to insist on the implementation of these important positive changes to our school and community. We must ensure all students are safe and enfranchised now and in the future. 

Recently, a number of brave current and former students have come forward with stories of racial and ethnic discrimination at Washington Academy.  From frequent use of racial slurs to statements like “go back to your country,” this unacceptable behavior has been allowed to continue for far too long. Although students and teachers have brought complaints to WA teachers and the administration for years, the administration and the Board of Trustees have knowingly and deliberately turned aside opportunities to intervene and, instead, enabled a systemic and institutionalized culture of discrimination to flourish. This petition builds on a large number of recent personal reports from current and former teachers, staff, students, and parents whose reports document over a decade of racism and anti-immigrant xenophobia at Washington Academy.

We are especially disturbed by accounts of staff failing to address harassment reported by students or even engaging in discriminatory behavior themselves. Left unchecked, harassment and discrimination serve to squeeze off equal access to pathways of academic, vocational, and professional achievement for students of color. 

As students, alumni, parents, teachers, and community members of Washington Academy, we demand the school take the following steps:

Acknowledge Washington Academy’s Past and Hold School Leadership Accountable 

• The student body and alumni deserve a public statement by the administration and the Board of Trustees acknowledging their failure to provide a school environment where discrimination in any form is not tolerated and apologizing for their failure to follow their policies in support of students who have experienced discrimination. This apology must not be a vague, impersonal statement and should include personal apologies from the President of the Board of Trustees, each member of the Board of Trustees, and the Head of School, Principal, and Vice-Principal. This statement should include commitments to anti-racist values and concrete steps for remedying past discrimination and changing the culture at WA. This statement should be distributed to the local press, and prominently placed in electronic and print communications with students, alumni, and donors, including in the school’s annual report. 
• As the current administration, particularly Judson McBrine, Tim Reynolds, Richard Olivares, and the Board of Trustees have failed to create a safe environment for all students, they must take responsibility for their actions.

Understand and Investigate Ongoing Discrimination at Washington Academy

• Provide an open and anonymous forum independent from the school to all students and staff to submit reports of current and past discrimination on-and-off school grounds by students and staff. 
• Order an immediate independent fact-finding investigation into the discrimination reported by students and any acts of discrimination at Washington Academy. As these allegations span over a decade under the same administrators, investigations should examine the school’s handling of discrimination and harassment each of those years.
• Independent review of the steps taken by the school administration to date ensure inclusivity and combat racial, ethnic, LGBTQ, and anti-immigrant discrimination and harassment, and a public report of findings and recommendations. 
• An independent review of the international student program to ensure international students are safe and not subject to discrimination. More needs to be done to welcome international students not only into the WA student body but into the community as well. 
• The findings and recommendations from these independent reviews and the steps WA will be taking pursuant to those recommendations must be made publicly available and included in Washington Academy’s website, annual report, and communicated to students, alumni, parents, and donors. 

Improve Washington Academy Personnel, Processes and Procedures for Future Students and Staff

• Establish a Civil Rights team as mandated by Maine State Education law and mandate at a minimum, monthly, one-hour training sessions for staff on civil rights, anti-racism, discrimination, implicit bias, and the importance of diversity.
• Create and implement a quarterly, mandatory training for students on their rights to file a complaint regarding any human and civil rights violations by staff or students.
• Develop and implement a mandatory robust curriculum on civics, human rights, and civil rights by a qualified teacher that holds a current certification in the field, with a minimum of two quarters required for all Washington Academy graduates. 
• Conduct routine anti-bias training for all staff and Board of Trustees conducted by independent credentialed experts with no affiliation with the school. 
• Following training, WA Human Resources must include a corporate anti-discrimination and harassment statement in its Personnel Policy and provide that statement in writing to all new employees and annually to all employees, contractors, and officers, including the Board of Trustees. 

Improve Transparency and Community Oversight

• The Board of Trustees, at their first formal public meeting of each year, shall read a statement affirming that Washington Academy is (1) committed to anti-racism principles and (2) does not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. 
• The administration must make it a priority to recruit teachers and staff of color and from diverse backgrounds and the Board of Trustees should be replaced with a more diverse, accountable Board that mirrors the student body. 
• The Board of Trustees should establish two voting seats for student representatives, one to be voted on by the entire student body and one to be voted on by the international students.
• The Board of Trustees and administration must conduct routine quarterly public meetings with public reporting on specific steps Washington Academy is taking to address discrimination at WA as part of its corporate strategic plan.
• Because the school receives local, state and federal funding, the school’s budget should be transparent to students, parents, and teachers, and the broader community to hold the school accountable and keep the entire student body safe.