By RICHARD GOOTEE
An assembly at Clarksville Middle School near the end of the school year caused some controversy, when parents complained about the speaker, a former white supremacist.
Angela Tobin said her daughter, Jasmine Tobin, told her about how the school brought in a young man who she thought didn’t like black people. Angela Tobin said she talked to one other parent about the assembly and then called the school.
Tobin said principal Pam Cooper told her she was trying to do something good by presenting a talk on tolerance, and it backfired. After receiving parents’ complaints, the school issued a letter signed by Cooper regarding the speaker, Tom Martinez, a former member of a white-supremacist group called The Order.
Cooper’s letter, dated May 21, explained the motives of the May 16 presentation. It said that though school officials did not agree with all of Martinez’s word choices, they were pleased to have someone with knowledge of the dangers of racism address the students.
Martinez presented that in the past he blamed his hardships in life on minorities and did not realize his hatred hurt anyone until he saw other members of The Order committing crimes such as armed robbery and murder. He wrote that he hoped his listeners would learn from his past.
“I hope after leaving this program, you will take a stand to make this world a better place to live,” he wrote, “Tolerance is a goal worth reaching for.”
Cooper said in the letter — which was obtained by The Evening News and The Tribune — she recognized some of Martinez’s methods may be interpreted as intolerant, and apologized if tolerance was not the message taken from the assembly.
However, Tobin said she thought the letter was not apologetic enough, especially because she believed it was sent out only after some parents complained. Cooper could not be reached for comment by Friday evening.
Superintendent Steve Fisher, who was not at the presentation, said he has talked to some parents, but has not seen the letter Cooper wrote. Fisher said he has discussed the matter with the principal.
“It’s my understanding that the message probably was OK, but the way it was delivered was not OK. I think there were just some graphics that may not have been suitable for children that age,” said Fisher, declining to elaborate. “I’m sorry if it offended any parents. Hopefully, we will not have a situation like that in the future.”
Each principal is in charge of booking presentations for his or her school, Fisher said.
Told that Tobin believed Cooper sent her letter only after parents complained, Fisher said he believed Cooper sent it immediately after the presentation ended.
“I think she immediately got some feedback from students,” Fisher said. “She decided to be proactive about it.”
Tobin said her daughter, who just completed seventh grade, will be back at the school in the fall. She added that she will remain active at the school and plans to attend school board meetings.
Richard Gootee is a freelance journalist living in Floyds Knobs. Staff writer Eric Scott Campbell contributed to this report.
