Students tell Mercer Island board they want clearer responses to hateful language, better newcomer supports

Students from Mercer Island schools told the School Board during a Superintendent—s Student Advisory meeting that they have noticed an increase in hateful language and that new students sometimes struggle to integrate.

"We talked about how the younger couches are impacting all the schools and their pros and cons and how we enforce the policy," said a student reporting from a small group, who also raised concerns about "bad language and slurs" heard at every school level. Students asked for lessons that move beyond repeated exhortations to "be respectful" and instead teach how to be "an upstander" — what…