The Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice following allegations it failed to address racial harassment among students, according to a press release Wednesday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.

The settlement comes after a federal investigation found the district did not adequately respond to incidents of racial harassment from fellow students, which contributed to a hostile educational environment. The Justice Department said the harassment largely occurred at Peoples Academy in Morristown. 

An investigation, which examined three year’s worth of complaints, revealed the district failed to address severe and widespread harassment of Black and biracial students. The report described a hostile environment where students were subjected to frequent racial slurs, Confederate flags, and Nazi symbols and salutes.

“Racial harassment makes students feel unsafe, deprives them of a supportive educational environment and violates the Constitution’s most basic promise of equal protection,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in the press release.

Under the agreement, the district is required to implement measures to better prevent and address harassment in the future, including revising policies and procedures to make clear they cover conduct that contributes to “a hostile environment,” not just actions aimed at individual students. The district must also investigate harassment reports quickly and fairly and take action to address harm, prevent future harassment and protect students who come forward from retaliation.

In consideration of this agreement, the justice department agreed to close its investigation without further enforcement action.

The Justice Department said the school district cooperated with the investigation and is actively implementing improvements.

“We have been transparent about the harmful and dehumanizing language that has been used in our schools, especially when students returned from the pandemic,” said Ryan Heraty, superintendent of the Elmore School in a letter Tuesday to the Elmore-Morristown community . “Through this intentional work, we have seen dramatic declines in student misbehavior.” 

This commentary is by Peter Langella of Moretown, a public high school and college educator.

Imagine that education in Vermont is a game of chess. 

Over the years, many pieces have been taken away from the board. Student enrollment has declined, but there has also been a steady stream of cuts and consolidations, spiking during Act 46 mergers and now again over the past two years.

Conversely, many other pieces have been added that don’t mesh with the original rules of the game. This is because the United States (and Vermont, under Gov. Scott and his vetoes) has rejected many social foundations and safety nets; and schools, admirably, have often tried to fill the gap by employing special educators, social workers, psychologists, intensive paraeducators, behavior interventionists and a plethora of other important and helpful humans.

So when legislators and bureaucrats talk about “right-sizing,” they are mostly trying to play a conventional game of educational chess based on Carnegie Units, the metric developed in 1906 that awards academic credit based on the number of “seat time” hours in a given course, especially at the high school level. This is the “Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic” model many of today’s decision-makers experienced as students. 

Simply put, it’s stagnant, outdated and inequitable.

So, Vermont has a choice. We can react to this education funding crisis by further cutting and consolidating, trying to put all the pieces back the way they were and play chess by the original rules, or we can flip the board over and play a new game — completely transforming our model of public education. 

Public schools in Vermont must become more personalized and community-based, partnering with local organizations for experiential and service-driven learning. Schools must think about what it means to be a compassionate human in our modern world and appropriately backward-design curricula to grow young people to meet that challenge. Schools must be interdisciplinary, creating a fusion of conventional academics with the arts, outdoor education, and sustainability. Schools must center inclusion and intersectionality, striving to represent, honor, and affirm all learners in a way that shares power. And, schools must value the whole student, concentrating on physical, social and emotional well-being above all other metrics.

The possibilities abound. We have so many creative and empathetic people here. We also have so many amazing students, who are truly our resident experts on what school is and what it can be. 

We could harness that, but we aren’t, at least not at a statewide level. For example, the Commission on the Future of Public Education, by statute, was supposed to “represent the State’s geographic, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity,” and it knows it failed on multiple levels of its most basic charge. There also aren’t any current educators or school employees who are part of the group, and there are no students, who repeatedly lack power, access and representation in official spaces where their future is being decided, especially when they come from marginalized backgrounds.

On a more micro level, this isn’t happening in most districts or schools, either. Like many around the state, the district I work in had its budget defeated last year. The school board moved quickly to adopt a new number, and district and building administrators were tasked with identifying cuts.

Instead of having a more transformational conversation, they cut librarians, drama teachers, music teachers, business teachers, French teachers, personalized learning coordinators, restorative practices coordinators, mentoring coordinators, instructional coaches, intensive paraeducators and JV sports programs.

It was and is horrendous. 

Imagine something better. Imagine flipping that chessboard over and looking at an open canvas. Before talking about tax rates, yield bills and common levels of appraisal; imagine centering teaching and learning. Imagine a visioning process where we, all of us, collectively redefine what school can be.

I’m not naive enough to think it would fit my exact hopes, and I’m not idealistic enough to think it wouldn’t include some cuts and consolidations. But at least it would be intentional.

The current narrative around this crisis is reactionary. The state is trying to force its way back to the chessboard, and it’s being falsely portrayed as the harder choice.

The harder choice, in actuality, is to transform. Create a bold vision and initiate a brand new game of school — creative, holistic, inclusive — that could serve as an example for the entire country.

The 2024-2025 Vermont high school winter season has begun. See below for scores, schedules and game details (statistical leaders, game notes) from basketball, hockey, gymnastics, wrestling, Nordic/Alpine skiing and other winter sports.

TO REPORT SCORES

Coaches or team representatives are asked to report results ASAP after games by emailing sports@burlingtonfreepress.com. Please submit with a name/contact number.

►Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter:@aabrami5.

►Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.

TUESDAY’S H.S. GAMES

Girls basketball

Burlington 68, Champlain Valley 59

B: Bree McDonald 24 points. Nylah Mitchell 20 points. Atika Haji 16 points. 

C: Zoey McNabb 23 points. Kaitlyn Jovell 10 points.

Note: Burlington defeated CVU for the first time since Feb. 17, 2012.

More: Burlington girls basketball establishes itself as a D-I favorite with historic win

Oxbow 64, Peoples 33

O: Braylee Phelps 24 points. Maggi Ellsworth 15 points.

P: Daisy Berg 13 points. Sophie Beck 11 points.

Note: Phelps made five 3-pointers to lead Oxbow, which led 40-16 at the break.

Harwood 44, Lyndon 34

H: Eloise Lilley 14 points. Maddie Ryley 9 points. Kendra Rocheleau 8 rebounds. Adelaide Chalmers 5 rebounds. Roanha Chalmers 5 rebounds.

L: Ella Marshia 15 points.

Note: Harwood led 25-17 at the break and 24-29 through three quarters before pulling away for the road win.

Winooski 36, BFA-Fairfax 31

W: Ashlyn Parris 9 points. Taraji Bradley 8 points.

F: Anna Villeneuve 16 points.

Note: Winooski opened a 26-7 halftime lead.

Windsor 58, Lake Region 18

W: Sophia Rockwood 20 points. Amelia Rockwood 14 points. Audrey Rupp 8 points.

North Country 64, Spaulding 27

NC: Sabine Brueck 20 points. Ava Patten 10 points. Addie Nelson 10 points. Marlow Maxwell 9 points.

S: Taylor Keel 9 points.

Lamoille 60, U-32 34

L: Alyssa Small 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists. Evie Pirie 10 points. Ava Baisley 9 points. Maddex Percey 8 points. Alana Crittenden 7 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds.

U: Paige Parker 14 points. Clara Wilson 12 points.

Twinfield/Cabot 60, Northfield 35

T/C: Kendall Fowler 16 points. Jorja Washburn 12 points. Carly Mancini 11 points.

Williamstown 58, Danville 52

W: Julia French 20 points, 5 steals. Natalie Beliveau 15 points, 15 rebounds. Hannah Spencer 14 points. Courtney Beliveau 8 points, 5 rebounds.

D: Myah Morgan 15 points. Lauren Joncas 15 points.

Rutland 46, South Burlington 28

R: Brinley Gandin 18 points. Lanza Bellomo 9 points.

SB: Lexi Paquette 18 points.

Montpelier 49, Woodstock 42 (OT)

Randolph 47, Thetford 41 

Stowe at Richford

Enosburg at Hazen, ppd.

Boys basketball

Rice 78, St. Johnsbury 56

R: Owen Eaton 22 points. Dallas St. Peter 21 points. Evan Eaton 16 points.

SJ: Rex Hauser 23 points. Michael Rodriguez Guerrero 12 points. Will Eaton 8 points.

Note: Owen Eaton drained five 3-pointers for Rice, which led 38-19 at the break.

South Burlington 76, Milton 29

SB: Deng Aguek 22 points. Oli Avdibegovic 14 points. Paul Comba 13 points. Kai Davidson 10 points.

M: Keegan Fitzgerald 7 points. Carter McGregor 7 points.

Note: Host South Burlington led 24-6 after the first quarter and 41-14 at the break.

Champlain Valley 60, Essex 36

CV: Owen Scott 21 points, 3 assists. Luke Allen 10 points, 9 rebounds.

Burlington 93, BFA-St. Albans 48

BHS: Abdi Sharif 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals. Pascal Munezero 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals.

BFA: Gabe Howrigan 19 points. Ryan Munger 11 points.

Note: Host BHS (6-0) raced to a 51-24 halftime lead.

Woodstock 61, Brattleboro 52

W: Elvis Lavallee 18 points. Caleb Sammel 17 points. Caeden Perreault 10 points.

B: John Satterfield 18 points. Oscar Korson 14 points. Jack Cady 10 points. 

Colchester at Mount Mansfield 

WEDNESDAY’S H.S. GAMES

Boys basketball

Games at 7 p.m unless noted

Williamstown at BFA-Fairfax

Fair Haven at Middlebury 

Winooski at Richford 

Lyndon at Montpelier

Lamoille at U-32

Lake Region at Hazen

Thetford at Peoples

Randolph at Mount Abraham

Twinfield/Cabot at Danville, 7:30 p.m. 

Girls basketball

Games at 7 p.m unless noted

BFA-St. Albans at Missisquoi

Essex at Colchester

Rice at Burr and Burton

Boys hockey

Burr and Burton at Colchester, 4:30 p.m. 

Woodstock at Harwood, 5 p.m. 

Hartford at Rice, 5:25 p.m. 

Milton at St. Johnsbury, 6 p.m.

Stowe vs North Country at Jay Peak, 6 p.m. 

Middlebury at Burlington, 7 p.m.

U-32 at Brattleboro, 7:15 p.m. 

BFA-St. Albans at South Burlington, 5:15 p.m. 

Essex at Champlain Valley, 7:40 p.m. 

Missisquoi at Mount Mansfield, 8 p.m. 

Girls hockey

Kingdom Blades at Middlebury, 5 p.m.

Woodstock at Spaulding, 5:15 p.m. 

Stowe at Hartford, 5:45 p.m. 

Champlain Valley/Mount Mansfield at Essex, 6 p.m. 

Burlington/Colchester at BFA-St. Albans, 7 p.m. 

U-32 at Missisquoi, 7:15 p.m. 

Wrestling

Champlain Valley, St. Johnsbury at Essex, 6 p.m. 

(Subject to change)