Korean American Communitys Statement

on Racist Remarks by Faculty Member at the Bergen County Academies

On November 20, 2017, by way of an article on the Korea Daily, it came to light that a world
language teacher at the Bergen County Academies (BCA) made hateful remarks. The remarks
targeted those of Korean descent, in comparison to students of other ethnic backgrounds during
class on September 7, 2017, the first day of school.

Upon the revelation, the Korean American community in Bergen County and beyond is deeply
offended by the remarks, concerned with the learning environment the said teacher has created,
and distrustful of the administration's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity.

The Korean American community hereby condemns the remarks and calls for a thorough handling
of the incident. Violation of civil rights on school grounds and failure to provide a safe learning
environment are serious offenses, prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Equal Educational
Opportunities Act of 1974, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as well as
the New Jersey Administrative Code. Students are protected from discrimination on the basis of
national origin, particularly, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, N.J.A.C. 6A:7-1.7, and N.J.S.A.
10:5-12.

From conversations with alumni, students, and parents of BCA, it was revealed that the
administration took action on the matter as soon as the incident came to its attention. However, the
Korean American community does not deem such actions sufficient and in order to properly and
completely resolve the matter, would like the following measures taken:

1) An unequivocal and formal acknowledgement and apology by the administration in a

public manner to address the issue towards the community at large, including but not
limited to the families attending BCA;

2) A cultural bias and sensitivity training for all members of the faculty and administration,
as well as an educational seminar on the matter for the student body, made mandatory
through a resolution adopted by the Board of Education within the next 30 days;

3) Resignation of the responsible teacher from the administration with documentation of

the incident on the responsible teachers personnel file; Disciplinary committees review
on the principals handling of the incident; Public, written apology from the Superintendent;
A public, joint statement between the County Executive and signatories of this letter; and

4) A written explanation of the incident and the steps that followed to be mailed out to all
BCA families.

While it has come to light that all faculty members have participated in a sensitivity training
recently, the September 7 incident raises serious questions on the efficacy of the current program,
as well as any negligence on supervision and training. Our conversations with current and former
BCA students furthermore indicated that this was not an isolated incident, but a part of a years-
long pattern by the responsible teacher.
Since the incident has come to light, many have suggested that the racist remarks may have been
an attempt at a joke. To that point, the Korean American community would like to remind our
friends, neighbors, and ourselves, that regardless of the intention, once a joke targets a particular
person or group in a harassing and degrading manner, it becomes nothing but an excuse to abuse
an imbalanced power dynamic, as described in an Atlantic article of November, 2017. It is
especially true when practiced by such an authority as a teacher in a classroom setting, on the first
day of school no less.

Regardless of intention, emotional distress has been inflicted upon the BCA families and the
Korean American community at large, since the incident has now become a public issue well
beyond the confines of the school. As such, this incident has critically undermined the public trust
in BCAs commitment to a safe learning environment. It shall be emphasized that the sole objective
of the Korean American community on the matter is to prevent such an incident from taking place
ever again, especially in a classroom setting. We ask for a response from the BCA administration
within two weeks, by Wednesday, December 13, 2017.

In working for a resolution of the issue, we appreciate our communitys active involvement and
cooperation, as well as the BCA administrations prompt response. We look forward to working
together with the BCA community to properly address the incident and reaffirming the districts
commitment to a safe learning environment that embraces diversity, inclusion, and equity for all
students.

November 29, 2017

The Korean-American Association of Korean American Civic Empowerment

New Jersey Dong Chan Kim, President
Elynn Park, President

NJ Korean American Chamber of Palisades Park Korean Parents Group

Commerce Grace Song, President
Matthew H. Son, President
Korean American Senior Citizens
Korean American Association of Fort Lee Association of NJ
Paul Yoon, President Youngjin Kwon, President

Asian Womens Christian Association Nail Business Association of NJ

Mi Kyung Je, Executive Director Su Y. Na, President

Palisades Park Chamber of Commerce

YoungMin Jung, President