The following letter was sent to Fayetteville-Manlius School District families and staff members via SchoolMessenger email on March 9.
Dear F-M families and staff,
Over the past few months, the Board of Education has witnessed a series of incidents in our district, including at board of education meetings and on school campuses, that have been disrespectful, disruptive and at times racist and threatening to members of our school community.
Several adult community members have exhibited behavior that has not modeled good citizenship for our students and is not in accordance with the F-M Code of Conduct’s Statement of Behavioral Expectations, which states in relevant part:
“All members must demonstrate respect for the beliefs and values of others, their points of view, their religions, and their rights as human beings. We must be active and positive in our respect, curtailing such acts or language that would diminish another. Treatment, judgment, or evaluation of others should be conducted with fairness tempered by empathy for individual differences.”
Here at the Fayetteville-Manlius School District, we are working to deepen our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts on a daily basis. We are particularly focused on building a welcoming community and affirming the dignity of each member of our school community. Simply put, our district will not tolerate conduct that does not live up to these values.
If you are subject to, or a witness of, behavior that threatens the physical and/or emotional safety and wellbeing of yourself or someone else, please tell someone. Tell a trusted adult or report the incident using the Anonymous Tips feature on the district website. Our mission is to prepare students for their futures by making our schools the best they can be. Part of this commitment means ensuring our buildings are safe places to learn and work.
We appreciate that these are difficult times for many in our community, but we ask that each of you treat each other, and our entire school community, with respect and kindness as we navigate these challenges together.
Respectfully,
Marissa Joy Mims, President
Sharon Lindars, Vice President
Jason Catalino
Rebecca Cohen
Kelly Fumarola
Elena Romano
Daniel Seidberg
Mark Vislosky
Daryll Wheeler