PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Weeks after a family says their child was targeted in a racially-motivated attack at West Sylvan Middle School, Portland Public Schools issued an apology for the incident and not alerting the community.

The apology was issued by PPS Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero and PPS Board of Education Andrew Scott, according to the press release, which was sent out just after 5 p.m. on Friday.

Raheem Alexzander, the father of the student, says his eighth-grade son was accosted by two students in the middle of the school day while going to get a drink of water during class.

“They put him up against a wall, they bound his hands behind his back and they told him they were doing the George Floyd on him,” said Alexzander. “They put him face down on the ground with his hands behind his back, they proceeded to put a knee in his back. One of the students said to him that now they were turning off the body camera and they’re going to wait 20 seconds.”

Alexzander says his family asked PPS to send a letter about the encounter districtwide but says, instead, only West Sylvan families were notified. He said it was also three weeks just to hear from the parents of the students involved.

The entire apology from PPS can be read below.

“Several weeks ago, at West Sylvan, there was a racist assault on a student. We wholeheartedly apologize to the student and family for experiencing this type of severe behavior. We also apologize to the entire African American community for not alerting all students and families in Portland Public Schools of this hate and bias incident that was experienced by one of our PPS students. We not only condemn this racist, harmful behavior, but we will also take a zero-tolerance approach to it. It is unacceptable anywhere in Portland Public Schools. Wherever racism rears its head in PPS, it will be dealt with swiftly and decisively. We do not, and will not, tolerate racism.

This incident highlights another tension that PPS staff faces every day as they support our young learners. Many ugly incidents such as this can be educational opportunities – for the students directly involved, but also for broader communities. Something from a specific classroom might be worth sharing with a full school, a cluster of classrooms, or even across all students within a grade. PPS staff has to weigh the potential of these teachable moments against worsening the harm done or violating any students’ privacy.

Hateful acts at school are dangerous, disturbing and disruptive. Wherever they are in our district, we are responsible for providing a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment where every child can learn and grow to reach their potential. This incident deserved to be raised to our broader community. Doing so would have been consistent with our commitment to teaching, modeling, and living by antiracist values. Our students and staff deserve learning spaces free of hate and are also safe, caring, and positive. All students thrive in an antiracist culture that challenges everyone to take part in hard conversations and stomp out racism. To ensure a learning environment of safety, security and belonging for every student, PPS does not tolerate hate speech nor acts of discrimination. Therefore, this type of behavior should and will continue to carry severe consequences. 

We encourage our families to take a moment to talk with your students about the importance of kindness, compassion, and respect for their peers and friends and also standing up to hate and violence, in all of its forms. The following resources can help support larger conversations with your student and additional learnings:

Together we can ensure that each PPS learning community is a welcoming space for every student. These are our commitments to you.”