By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos Public Schools Superintendent Jose Delfin addressed the Oct. 27 School Board Meeting about an incident that took place Oct. 5 following a football game between the Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS).
LAMS players were heard chanting “Go back to the rez” in the locker room and were made to forfeit that game as well as the upcoming final game of the season because of the incident.
“The coach handled the situation well and stopped it,” Delfin said, adding that Head Coach Pat Brousseau also informed LAMS Principal Jill Gonzales of the incident.
Delfin shared some of his experience dealing with racist behavior at previous positions he has held.
“As a person of color myself, I have experienced first-hand the pain of disrespect and exclusion,” he said. “Los Alamos Public Schools and I sincerely strive for a better, more equitable future for the generations that we educate. In that spirit, the District will continue to seek out and implement a range of tools for ensuring our educational environment is one of respect and inclusion.”
The coach heard the chants as he walked from the football field to the locker room, Delfin said. They stopped when he entered the locker room. It is unknown how many players participated in the chanting.
“The words used were hurtful and are not reflective of our District’s core values,” Delfin told the Daily Post. “Upon learning of these events, the District promptly held additional NMAA player conduct training, restorative justice actions, forfeited our final game of the season, initiated an investigation to identify the responsible students, and is now hoping to partner with the Pueblo de San Ildefonso on cultural sensitivity measures and opportunities for our students.”
“The district will work with tribal leaders along with our Native American Parent Advisory Council to determine the actions needed to repair the damages done after the incident,” School Board President Melanie Colgan told the Daily Post. “Governor Moquino of Pueblo de San Ildefonso and Governor Roybal of the Pueblo of Pojoaque have both reached out to LAPS to offer guidance and education on matters related to history, cultural sensitivity, and inter-cultural communication. We are very appreciative and thankful for this opportunity of collaboration.”
Some parents were upset that there was no official statement by the district until Oct. 21 when Delfin issued a statement.
During the School Board meeting, a parent of color said that her daughter had experienced racist incidents in the school district.
“Do you have the competency to deal with this incident?” she asked. “What happened is traumatic. Reacting to this event is not sufficient. You need professional help with this.”
Delfin assured her the District is in the process of further addressing the issue of racism in the Los Alamos Public Schools.