Six students won’t be back in school this year
Officials say Union Beach students may be able
to return next year
By john burton
Staff Writer

It is official. The 15-year-old girl who uttered a racially derogatory term has been suspended, and will not return to Red Bank Regional High School this year.

The sophomore boys, who were identified as friends of the girl and who officials said had expressed racist beliefs but did nothing that would cause them to be subject to disciplinary action, also will be out of school for the remainder of the year. Officials originally said such a course might be pursued as a precautionary measure to ensure their safety.

The school’s actions stem from an incident in the cafeteria earlier this month in which the girl reportedly said "I hate all n______."

She will serve a 10-day suspension and then receive home instruction through the end of the school year.

The boys, all from Union Beach, will receive educational instruction in their home district, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edward Westervelt.

Union Beach is a K-8 district, so the students will receive tutoring at the town’s adult education facility, Westervelt said.

Those students are free to reapply to Red Bank Regional for next year. The only condition is that the students enroll in the school’s student diversity group.

The school is consulting with security experts to do a complete re-evaluation of its security measures. In addition, Westervelt said, the school has been reviewing the feasibility of metal detectors with Little Silver Police Chief William Wikoff.

The idea of metal detectors in the school was discussed at the meeting of the Board of Education last week. The incident involving the girl, and another incident in which a racial slur was combined with a threat, prompted a large turnout for the meeting.

Authorities have acknowledged they have a suspect — a former student who was seen in the area of the school Friday, according to Westervelt.

"I want to say when I heard this from my son, I was upset," said Patty Whyte, West Westside Avenue, Red Bank.

Whyte also noted that "this is an indication of some underlying problem and prejudice."

"Personally, I don’t think there’s enough security here. I know I don’t feel safe," commented Christian Harrison, an 18-year-old senior from Red Bank.

Toni Brown, Earl Street, Red Bank, a graduate of the high school, whose child now attends the school, said these incidents show that nothing has changed in the 15 years since she was there.

"This is a place that reeks failure," she said.

Audra Gutridge, Shrewsbury Avenue, Red Bank, saw the incidents as an opportunity to prevent possible future, more devastating events.

"Thank God for what happened," she said. "God has given us a wake-up call."

"I think one of the things that came out of this is better communication," commented Westervelt.

"This process doesn’t end tonight. This conversation doesn’t end tonight," said Morgan.

"We will not take any racial slur lightly," the Rev. Dr. Dwight Crist Northington, pastor of Red Bank’s Calvary Baptist Church, and the chairman of the Westside Ministerial Alliance, told the Board of Education.

Following the meeting, Northington, who had presented a list of 10 things he said needed to be addressed, said, "The board is making efforts to resolve these issues; we’re waiting for a written response."

As far as he knows, the school superintendent said, there had not been any bias related incidents during his four-year tenure at the school. The school does have an affirmative action officer and a diversity coordinator to whom students can bring any issues related to race, he said.

"I think it’s fair to say all children know now how to report such an incident," he said.