While life online is not just a pandemic protocol for teenagers, the social media connections have gotten even more intense in the last week with the Instagram account “Dear Culver.” Promoted as a ‘safe space’ to share stories, it quickly rolled up into pile of complaints and accusations against the Culver City High School Administration, with some individuals being named and blamed.
At the July 28, 2020 school board meeting Zoom call, CCHS Principal Dr. Lisa Cooper reinforced the message she had sent out in the school newsletter. “My heart is broken to know that students within our school and Culver City community may have experienced unthinkable acts of racism and/or harassment within our schools. Further, I am saddened that many of you did not feel safe enough to share these concerns when they happened. From my administrative team to you, we believe that each of you deserve better – deserve to feel safe, feel valued, and feel supported, and we resolve to address this. We want to make sure you know that as educators and parents, we genuinely care and want to ensure that your experience at CCHS is positive.”
A major part of the challenge is how comfortable students feel reporting these negative behaviors to those in administration who are responsible for addressing the problem.
Copper has a private and – if need be- anonymous communication portal “to share your experiences with us and bring awareness to your experiences, we have created a Google form (click on the link to access form) to ensure that your voice is heard. While we would prefer that you provide contact information so that we may respond appropriately, if you do not feel comfortable providing such, you can submit your thoughts anonymously.”
By opening “Dear Centaurs,” the principal is hoping to be able to address and remedy some of the difficult stories have have come to light on Instagram.
Judith Martin-Straw
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