In response to the article "Reaction is graded a failure," May 29, we concur with the assertions made by the plaintiffs that racial tension is very real at Hackett Middle School in Albany and has created a hostile learning environment for our kids.
Before we learned of this case, our daughter, who attends Hackett, expressed the undue stress she feels because of bullying and frequent fights. She also said the only reason she does not get picked on is because she is a white girl (her words, not mine).
We are dismayed that Principal Michael Paolino trivializes the bullying mentioned in the article as a "joke gone bad." This was no joke. We urge the Albany Board of Education to take immediate action, to meet with concerned parents, and to adopt concrete measures to remedy this situation.
There should be no circling of the wagons. We do not know what this means for the future of any of our school administrators. But we do know that the future of our children is more important.
Bruce and Monique Roter
Albany