Thomas S. Wootton Principal Douglas Nelson has been placed on leave after another incident of racism at the school.
The incident occurred on Dec. 3 when a student found an anti-Black racial slur written on their desk. A response did not come from staff until this weekend which was days after the incident.
In an email sent to parents, Dr. Peter O. Moran, the MCPS Chief Officer of School Support and Improvement said: “The purpose of this letter is to inform you of an anti-black racist act that occurred at Wootton High School on Monday, December 3, 2024. It saddens and angers me to share with you that the N-word was written on the desk of a black student. This incident has not only harmed this individual student but has harmed students, families, and staff, specifically those who are Black or African American. The delay in the reporting and response to this incident only caused further harm to the Black students, staff, and community and left feelings of being unwelcome and unsafe, and that Wootton is not a school where they have a sense of belonging.”
This is the second racial incident at the school this calendar year. In May, a student wrote a slur 1000 times on 1000 pieces of paper.
The decision to place Nelson on leave was made on Dec. 6, with an interim replacement set to start on Wednesday.
The full letter sent out to the Wootton community:
Dear Wootton School Community
The purpose of this letter is to inform you of an anti-black racist act that occurred at Wootton High School on Monday, December 3, 2024. It saddens and angers me to share with you that the N-word was written on the desk of a black student. This incident has not only harmed this individual student but has harmed students, families, and staff, specifically those who are Black or African American. The delay in the reporting and response to this incident only caused further harm to the Black students, staff, and community and left feelings of being unwelcome and unsafe, and that Wootton is not a school where they have a sense of belonging. As a school system, it is our duty and responsibility to provide students with a safe and positive learning environment fostered by educators who demonstrate compassion and care for them daily. On behalf of school and district leaders, I am sorry that we did not provide this compassion and care by providing the warranted response and support that students and staff needed.
This is the second such incident in eight months. Unfortunately, it is further evidence of the need for significant cultural and behavioral change to make Wootton a safe and equitable place for all students and staff to learn and thrive. As you may be aware, a PEP rally was scheduled today to celebrate the beginning of the winter sports season. In collaboration with the Student Government Association, Black Student Union, and Minority Scholars Program, the decision was made to postpone in order to provide the opportunity to inform staff and students of the incident that occurred on December 3rd, revisit the core values of our school system, and provide Black student leaders with the opportunity to share the experiences they have endured while students at Wootton.
We are increasingly aware of the long-standing harm caused by racism at Wootton, and hearing the experiences shared by students today is an immediate call to action for school based and central office staff to respond. Beginning on Monday, December 9, central office staff will work closely with the Wootton staff to engage in ongoing work until Black students and staff say the work has made a meaningful, positive, and permanent difference.
Key student advocates at Wootton High School have shared a message outlining their concerns and strategies to help frame an action plan. We are taking those specific items very seriously, and they will be considered part of the plan we develop in the next couple of days.
The superintendent has asked me to supervise activities and operations at Wootton High School for the next several days. I will work closely with the staff, administrative team, students, families, and community leaders to support our next steps and provide updates on how we are working through this difficult time.
I will be in continuous communication with school staff and the school community over the coming days to provide more information about our investigation and responsive actions.
Sincerely,
Dr. Peter O. Moran
Chief Office of School Support and Improvement
