Teachers, counselors and union urge North Clackamas School District to adopt clearer policies and ongoing training to curb slurs and hate speech

Several district employees and the North Clackamas Education Association urged the North Clackamas School District Board of Directors on June 5 to adopt a clearer, consistently applied policy and recurrent training to address student use of slurs and hate speech.

The speakers described repeated incidents at multiple schools and said current responses are uneven. "We continue to need resources to address these concerns at my school and other schools in our district," said Lexi Frederickson, who identified herself as working at Riverside Elementary. "They want the process to be clear with consistent consequences," she added, describing staff-led equity teams and restorative practices at her school but noting those supports are not universal.

"Hearing the f‑slur and other anti‑LGBTQ and racialized language right outside my door makes me feel unsafe in my own workplace," said Taylor Gibson, a teacher at Clackamas High School speaking on behalf of a colleague at Adrian C. Nelson High School. The colleague reported hearing racial and homophobic slurs repeatedly in a hallway outside a classroom described as "clearly queer affirming." "This is not a one‑person problem. It's a systems issue and it deserves a systematic response," Gibson said.

Rock Creek Middle School counselor Hannah Piedermadico described students who have repeatedly stopped reporting incidents because they say nothing changes. "Instead of being in class and learning, they often go to the bathroom to cry," Piedermadico said, describing the emotional toll on a student who has sought counseling for two years.

Angela Lenoir, a Rock Creek Middle School teacher who said she is one of the few teachers of color in the building, said BIPOC students often avoid reporting incidents because they "don't see anything getting solved." She urged "clear, consistent, student‑friendly language" explaining how slurs are addressed and consistent staff responses.

Karina Ramirez Velasquez, a teacher at Alder Creek Middle School, said the problem has continued over seven years and that she has seen slurs written on desks and Chromebooks and used by staff and students. "We need training and accountability for our staff, students, and families," she told the board.

Matt Lambert, speaking for the North Clackamas Education Association (NCEA), summarized a union survey of 80 teachers: 24% of respondents said there was a well‑defined process for addressing slurs, 39% said there was not, and 30% did not know the process. Only 19% felt slurs were adequately addressed; 79% said slurs had been a serious issue at their school this year. "Thirty percent of teachers did not know the process for dealing with incidents of hate speech at school. This is not acceptable," Lambert said, urging regular training, clearer follow‑up communication from administrators and student‑facing materials explaining how the school responds.

Speakers asked the board and district leadership to review and, where necessary, update district policy; provide ongoing training for classroom staff, paraeducators and administrators; use teacher‑created training materials from teacher affinity groups; and develop student‑facing education on how to interrupt and report hate speech. Several speakers asked that any policy updates be developed with input from groups most affected, including LGBTQ students and students of color.

Board chair noted the remarks and said the board would follow up, but no formal action or vote on a new policy was taken at the June 5 meeting.

The public comment period that produced these remarks began with prepared speakers who identified their names and affiliations and concluded before the board's recess at 7:04 p.m.