BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

BOSTON LATIN SCHOOL

FOUNDED IN 1635
LYNNE MOONEY TETA, Ed.D.
Head Master
MALCOLM J. FLYNN
SHERRY M. LEWIS-da PONTE
ELIZABETH M. McCOY
JONATHAN MULHERN
CYNTHIA WEBB
Assistant Head Masters

February 24, 2016

Dear members of the Boston Latin School community,
While the last few weeks have been difficult for our community, that discomfort cannot
compare to the experience of students who have faced prejudice and acts of bias in our
school. I am grateful to the student leaders of BLS B.L.A.C.K. (Black Leaders Aspiring
for Change and Knowledge) for raising awareness of racial tensions at Boston Latin
School (BLS), as no student should ever feel emotionally or physically unsafe in school,
or denigrated for who they are.
While I am optimistic that the dialogues begun over the past few weeks will lead to a
more respectful and welcoming racial climate at our school, I deeply regret that we did
not begin such conversations earlier, and that there was not more urgency in our initial
response to these concerns. I acknowledge my responsibility in that lapse. It is the
headmasters duty to ensure the conditions are in place to allow every student to succeed
in a safe learning environment that acknowledges and values the commonalities and
differences among us. After weeks of self-reflection and frank conversations, I realize
that in important ways I have not succeeded. I am truly sorry.
As an educator, I am driven by commitments to social justice and equity values I first
developed as a student here at BLS. It pains me to recognize that our students have
suffered from racism within our community. I pledge to work toward a better Boston
Latin School, one where all parents are certain of their childs well-being, and where
every student is empowered to excel in an environment free from discrimination.

Every day at Boston Latin School, we welcome 2,450 remarkable students to our
hallways students representing the rich diversity of our city in terms of race, ethnicity,
language, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. Despite efforts to meet
our mission for all students, we have heard clearly that there is more we must do. I look
forward to continuing to learn from our student leaders and partner with them to make
BLS a place where everyone is treated with respect and can thrive.
With the support of district leadership and external partners, we are already taking steps
toward the goals B.L.A.C.K. helped me set as outlined in my January 25 memo. A social
justice advisory committee, comprised of 38 student leaders, has convened and will
continue to meet with me regularly to provide an important student voice in school-wide
decisions. We have launched a new partnership with the Racial Justice program of
YWBoston to hold intensive dialogues on race and ethnicity for student, parent, faculty,
and administrative leaders, and support professional learning for all faculty. Every
student participated in a mandatory assembly that reminded students how to report
inappropriate, hateful or offensive speech or actions, as well as the consequences for
engaging in such behavior. Plans for a B.L.A.C.K. Teach-In (a full day of workshops for
students) are under development. Students, faculty and parents will work together to
design additional required programming for all students focused on issues of race. As we
continue to listen and learn together, we will determine the ongoing steps we need to take
to strengthen our school climate.
The results of the Office of Equity investigation point to areas needing improvement,
which we are taking with the utmost seriousness. We are working actively with Boston
Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Tommy Chang and district leadership to implement
the Office of Equitys recommendations, in addition to the school-based steps outlined
above. I particularly look forward to a multifaceted, comprehensive racial climate
assessment involving as many BLS students, faculty, staff, and parents as possible in the
coming weeks.
Boston Latin School has been a leader in secondary education for almost 400 years. This
moment causes me, and I hope all of us, to think deeply and take action on many
levels. BLS can only benefit as we reflect upon our personal beliefs, professional
practices, and institutional policies. I am encouraged by the active involvement of
students, faculty, families and community partners who seek to contribute to a more
respectful learning environment for all. I invite you to join me in embracing this
opportunity to come together to make our school stronger and more inclusive, and create
enduring change.
Sincerely,

Lynne Mooney Teta, Ed.D.