‘Injustices’ in school system, Rebel name, leadership changes stir debate
As students in Vestavia Hills City Schools started the academic year Aug. 20 — some virtually and some in person — new leaders were in place at Vestavia Hills High School and Liberty Park Middle School. The change at the high school prompted protest by students and others in early August.
Students also returned to a school system that has faced tough questions and accusations, as two separate groups made up of students and alumni have worked to shed light on what they say are injustices throughout the school system, including bullying, sexual harassment and assault.
Another group has called for the school system to drop the Rebel nickname at the high school due to its association with the Confederacy and slavery.
LEADERSHIP CHANGES
During a special called Board of Education meeting July 31, the board approved the moving of Vestavia Hills High School Principal Tyler Burgess to a new role as the principal of the remote learning model for the entire school system, where he will oversee all aspects of virtual learning being used this school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lauren Dressback, an assistant principal at the high school, was moved to an assistant principal job at Liberty Park Middle School, while Liberty Park Middle School Principal Tonya Rozell was moved to principal at the high school. Roger Dobnikar, an assistant principal at Liberty Park Middle School, became the interim principal at the middle school, while Bill Mann joined the high school as an assistant principal.
Superintendent Todd Freeman said his responsibility is to look at the best way to position the school system’s leadership team. “We have 7,147 kids who I want to make sure have the best experience,” Freeman said. “We need to put our leadership in places that they can best serve the entire system.”
Whit McGhee, director of public relations for the school system, said the changes were made because the school system determined they needed a principal with oversight of the remote model in order to structure it like a regular school. Freeman and the board felt Burgess was best positioned to take on that role, McGhee said.
“He’s already hit the ground running,” McGhee said.
Many residents took to social media to complain about the decision and questioned whether the school system was being transparent about why the decision was made.
A few days after the decision, students held a peaceful protest at the high school, upset that their principal had been moved to another position. Freeman released a statement after the protest.
“The Board of Education and I fully support our high school students who respectfully expressed their support and appreciation for Dr. Tyler Burgess. I appreciate how much our students value the influence he had on them while serving as principal of Vestavia Hills High School. The students at Vestavia Hills High School today affirmed the rich tradition of love and spirit that has made the school a special place for many years,” Freeman said in the statement.
“One of the challenges we face this upcoming school year is to ensure every student in our system has a quality, meaningful educational experience whether they attend in person or remotely,” Freeman wrote. “Dr. Burgess will provide valuable leadership for the teachers and almost 1,300 students who will participate in our remote learning model. The entire VHCS administrative team remains committed to providing every student the opportunity to learn without limits, and we will continue moving forward with that mission in mind.”
Burgess and Dressback did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
STORIES OF INJUSTICE
Two separate groups — one called Students for Advocacy and another called Injustice in VHCS — have begun collecting stories of injustices that they say have taken place throughout the school system. They are asking leaders to make changes to ensure a better education for all students.
Injustice in VHCS has Instagram and Facebook accounts with hundreds of posts alleging problems throughout the school system.
In one post, a graduate of Arab-American descent said he or she experienced “hate towards my color, my family and my culture.”
“I learned the word sand n***** at Vestavia,” the student wrote. “I had a black backpack for all four years of high school, and people would always ask me if I carried bombs in my bag.”
Another story posted to the Instagram page alleged that a male student sexually assaulted multiple girls and was not punished.
Other stories related racially insensitive remarks made by students and teachers, sexually inappropriate jokes made toward women and the bullying of gay or lesbian students.
The school system released a statement July 10 addressing the posts, and McGhee in mid-August said that statement still stands.
“VHCS endeavors to create a learning environment that is safe for students and staff,” the statement read. “Board of Education policies 6.10 (Sexual Harassment) and 6.24 (Jamari Terrell Williams Bullying Prevention Act) state the definitions and requirements for notifying the school system when harassment, bullying or violence occurs. Further, the VHCS Parent-Student Handbook outlines the school system’s Code of Conduct and required reporting process. Any student, parent or staff member who is aware of a violation of these or other board policies and laws that protect our children should immediately report those to school administration.”
Both the Injustices in VHCS and Students for Advocacy groups released statements denying their efforts had anything to do with the transfer of Burgess from the high school, and both opposed the move.
“He’s a very kind person,” said Sara Guven, a 2020 graduate involved with Students for Advocacy. “He genuinely cares for the needs of the students. He helped a lot with the issues that were brought up. ... I think he did what he could.”
Guven said she experienced attitudes of misogyny and disrespect toward women in the school system, but she said her primary motivation for getting involved with Students for Advocacy was the mishandling of sexual assault.
“That was a main issue for me,” Guven said. “We all take issue with the fact that problems aren’t really addressed.”
Guven and Whitt Sheumaker, another 2020 graduate, said the no-contact contracts given by the school system after an alleged sexual assault or incident of harassment do not work because the contract only goes to the end of the school year. Victims will often find the person who harassed or assaulted them is back in class with them the next year.
Guven said the group is not saying the entire school system is bad. She said both she and Sheumaker are grateful for the “incredible education” they received at Vestavia, but they want it to be a school system of which everyone can be proud.
The group has shared an “action plan” with the school board three times. School officials so far have “shown no initiative whatsoever to change this,” Sheumaker said, but he and Guven remain hopeful that they will.
The action plan calls for more diversity, equity and inclusion in the hiring of staff, partnering with universities and historically black colleges and universities to make that happen. It also calls for implementing “diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism training” for all staff, helping them recognize implicit biases, learn emotional intelligence and learn how to be an “active ally.”
The plan also calls for the creation of an office of diversity and inclusion to combat racism, as well as the provision of emotional and academic support unique to Black students. The students also call for the reinstatement of Burgess as principal at the high school.
With regard to disciplining perpetrators of injustice, the plan calls for the “intensification of disciplinary actions” for perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault.” For students, this would include, but not be limited to, dismissal from school-sponsored organizations and honor societies, as well as a minimum of short-term alternative placement in the VISION school. For employees, it would include termination.
The students also requested that the “no contact rules” apply for the perpetrator’s entire school career.
Other suggested measures are aimed at making the system more inclusive and diverse and a safer place for all students.
Newly appointed board President Lisa Baker said the board is currently looking at the situation and taking it seriously.
“Of course we always value student input,” Baker said. “No school system is immune to injustices. That’s why we have policies in place.”
Baker said student input is “so important” and said the school system is continuously working to prevent anything from limiting students’ educational opportunities.
“If you want to bring about systemic change, that needs to happen community wide,” Baker said.
She said she and the board are committed to making sure students have a safe environment in which to learn, and are working to make the system better, including highlighting diversity and the new “Rebels Helping Rebels” program, which financially supports students in need. The fund will help pay fees related to school activities.
THE REBEL NAME
This isn’t the first time people have asked school system leaders to stop using the “Rebel” nickname. Five years ago, after much debate, school officials got rid of the “Rebel Man” mascot, after previously ending the use of the Confederate flag.
The school system paid Knight Eady Sports Group $30,000 that same year to come up with new branding for the school system, settling on 1Rebel, taken from longtime football coach Buddy Anderson’s well-known statement, “When you play one Rebel, you play us all.”
A new “Drop Rebel” group made their voices known at the July 27 board meeting and on social media.
“Though the plantation owner mascot and Confederate flag symbols were removed from the school five years ago, those changes cannot remove the meaning on which Vestavia school system’s Rebel name was founded,” 2006 alumna Anna Cuevas said. “While true that rebel also holds another meaning, Vestavia’s history of the Rebel man context cannot genuinely and honestly make that transition. Everyone and everything has room to grow. However, Vestavia schools’ Rebel name was tainted by this country’s history of brutalizing Black slaves the instant that the school conjoined the meaning with the Rebel man mascot and confederate flag. These associations cannot be undone with rebranding.”
Holly Metcalf, a 1999 graduate, said the dropping of the name is long overdue.
“I don’t feel the future of the school should be involved with that,” Metcalf said.
After hearing students and recent graduates speak at the July 27 meeting, Metcalf, who spent 10 years as a foreign service officer for the U.S.State Department, was struck by their courage.
“I remember how scary it can be for a young person to speak out when your opinion may be unpopular,” Metcalf said.
Self-education about the school’s history and the Rebel name needs to happen in Vestavia, Metcalf said. The resources are there if the system will take advantage of it, she said.
The school system was formed in 1970 and has always been a predominantly white school. It has long faced accusations of forming out of “white flight,” away from the predominantly Black city of Birmingham.
It earned unitary desegregation status in 2007, ending a court order mandating the busing of predominantly Black students from the Oxmoor Valley area that dated back to the school system’s founding. Unitary status is granted when school systems are found to have eliminated the “vestiges of segregation to the extent practicable,” according to the Associated Press.
The Vestavia Hills school system released a statement June 24 regarding the nickname.
“Vestavia Hills City Schools’ mission is to provide every student the opportunity to learn without limits. This mission requires that now, more than ever, we persistently confront the limitations that hinder our learning. That is the definition of what being a Rebel means to our school system and why it will continue to be our name,” the statement read.
“Being a Vestavia Hills Rebel means defying cultural norms and expectations. It means pursuing excellence not only in the classroom or ball field, but in the community and throughout the world as well. It means using our voices and resources to condemn the scourge of racism and bigotry and to advocate justice for others. These ideals are at the core of Vestavia Hills High School’s Rebel Edge creed and our mission. Being a Vestavia Hills Rebel also means never settling for the status quo. For the past 50 years, our schools and community have committed themselves to casting an ambitious vision of the future, undergirded by a set of core beliefs. We believe that every person has value and deserves respect. We believe every person is responsible for his or her actions. We believe every person deserves to be safe. We believe our identity is reflected best in the hearts of our students, faculty, staff, and community. This is our Rebel Edge.”