More than 200 alumni, faculty, and students signed a letter to Baltimore’s Park School condemning the school’s decision to abruptly cancel a rally on the war between Israel and Hamas, calling the school’s actions an act of censorship. , accused it of being the antithesis of the school’s longstanding progressive values.
The group, called Park Alumni Against Censorship, is demanding that Baltimore County private schools take a series of actions, including rescheduling meetings, publicly broadcasting controversial issues, and holding school leaders accountable. There is. “The entire Park School community is entitled to a detailed explanation of any move that we believe violates the core principles by which the school has operated since its founding,” the letter said.
The cancellation of the rally was just the beginning of a day of turmoil in Congress. School last month. After learning that a lecture by two Swarthmore professors had been canceled the night before, students scheduled a discussion with the speakers on Zoom. However, school administrators shut down Zoom on the network and disconnected midway through the conversation. The school day then turned into a protest, with some students leaving the school and others walking through the hallways to meet with faculty.
“This is a huge disservice to Park students. Above all, how does censorship promote the values Park espouses?” This is what a graduate student said. He added that he believes students cannot become responsible citizens “if access to all viewpoints is censored.”
The group is calling on school leaders to hold Principal Dan Paradis accountable and possibly fire him. “Paradi Island and other countries are acting with authoritarian recklessness, creating a hostile environment for Palestinians, Arabs, or students who simply do not agree with a single perspective presented so far. ” the letter states.
Paradis wrote in an email to the school community that the assembly was canceled for the following reasons: The speakers were “expressing views and using rhetoric inconsistent with what we understood to be their planned program.” Professor Paradis wrote that he wants his students to engage in difficult conversations, but added, “We must find ways to create dialogue that is constructive rather than corrosive or harmful.”
Paradis Island did not explain the views the school deemed objectionable enough to cancel the assembly. School leaders also did not respond to questions from The Banner. The incident and its aftermath.
Pete Hilsey, a spokesperson for The Park School, said in an email that the action plan has been shared with parents of upper school or high school students. The school will review its process for vetting speakers and research organizations that can create “constructive dialogue across differences” and bring “diverse voices” to account for Middle East history and conflict. said Hilsey.
The Park Alumni Group believes the rally was canceled because one of the speakers was Saeed Ashan, a Palestinian who has been outspoken about the war. He is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore, a liberal arts college outside Philadelphia. Another speaker was Moriel Rothman Zecher, a Jewish Israeli citizen. He is a visiting assistant professor of creative writing and a novelist.
The Park Alumni Association’s letter opposing the censorship sent to school leadership on Monday is signed primarily by alumni, but current Park seniors, former teachers and parents are also lending their support. Posted by alumni who organized the group and wrote the letter. On Instagram.
Jonathan Ross, a parent who signed the letter, said the school was not yet doing enough to ensure diverse voices were heard in the school community. “From where I’m sitting, it looks like I’m trying to silence that train of thought,” he said. “It appears that the conversation is one-sided and favors one topic over another.”
He believes the government made a series of poor decisions, including canceling speakers and then shutting down Zoom. phone. “These are horrible overreactions.”
Ross said he wants the school to fulfill its stated mission.
When Lauren Leffer, Class of 2012, read about the series of events at Park School. In the Baltimore Banner she was “furious.”
“It’s very contrary to my idea of what Park School stands for, and I think it was the school I attended as a student,” she said.
Leffer shared the story on social media and called on alumni to organize a response to the school. ”
She was right. Soon, she gathered a large group of alumni who wanted to take action. Regardless of where they stood on the debate about Hamas and Israel, they agreed that the school’s approach was contrary to their teachings.
“This is not intended to be a commentary on global issues, but rather a commentary on a specific series of events that occurred,” Leffer said.
Questioning authority and understanding how to critically engage with the world was a big part of Blake Pruitt’s education at Park University.
“I felt like the tactics the administration was using completely undone everything we learned,” the 2011 graduate said.
Isabella Lee, a 2012 graduate, said about 20 alumni were part of the group that drafted the letter.
Leffer said he wanted to at least start a conversation “to find out where we stand and what we’re going to do moving forward.”
“At this time, we hope that the school approaches our letter with an open mind and an understanding that it comes from a place of wanting the Park community to be the best it can be.” Leffer said.