Woodside High principal did the right thing Woodside High principal did the right thing (December 03, 2003)

By Gary Thurston

I am a longtime resident of the Woodside-Menlo Park area (52 years) and have been at Woodside High School from 1958 to 2003. I was a student at Woodside from 1958 to 1962, and I have been a social studies teacher and coach since 1967.

The November 19 Almanac editorial was disconcerting to me because I believe it presented a one-sided and biased interpretation of the events that occurred at Woodside High School. Although I appreciate the fact that writing editorials is a difficult job and that sources are not always reliable, it is the writer's professional responsibility to present both sides of the issue. It seems the writer's mind may have been made up before the information was gathered.

The allegation that Woodside Principal Linda Common was remiss in her attempt to "force a confession out of the offending players" in front of "innocent teammates who refused to turn in their buddies" is a serious misinterpretation of events.

Linda Common did not make a unilateral decision as was suggested. The coaches and administrative team met and unanimously decided on their course of action after the team meeting. The main objective was to teach students the importance of accountability and responsibility. The premise that the young men had no choice at all is, in my opinion, flawed. Of course the hope was that the guilty persons would step forward and accept responsibility for their actions, but when that did not happen, it became the responsibility of the team.

By suggesting students were right in refusing to break the "code of silence" sends a terrible message. When a citizen witnesses a crime, it is his duty to report the incident. This is how we maintain a civilized society. Without it what do we have? One of the oldest English legal standards is "silence gives consent." If it is true that all it takes for evil to flourish is for the good people to remain silent, then do we want to encourage our children not to speak up when they encounter it?

When the editorial states the "offending chant" was "discovered" by a coach who walked unannounced into a locker room where the team was, understandably frustrated about the ... fifth regular season loss," it implies that the coach was inappropriate in his actions and interpretations.

First of all, when a group of students chants "F--- Coach Moss" in unison, it certainly is meant to be "discovered" by the coach. Furthermore, the comment that "the words they used were in bad taste" is a terrible understatement. The chant was meant to undermine the coach's authority and was a serious act of disrespect. The fact that a number of players were chanting the offensive words makes it even more threatening.

The editorial seemed to have an ax to grind with Principal Linda Common, but in my 37 years on the Woodside staff, Linda is the best principal with whom I've worked. The statement that "her ultimatum was virtually guaranteed to fail" as "all of the players quickly closed ranks to defy her demand that they confess or turn in the guilty parties" is also off the mark.

The players did not unite because of loyalty or because of their feelings for the coaches and administrators. Instead, it is the same mechanism that usually makes the "street code of silence" work -- fear. There were players who wanted to give up names of those involved in the verbal assault on the coach, but they were threatened with violence if they became witnesses. These kids were just plain afraid for their safety. At this point, what choice did we have?

Profanity directed at a staff member happens, and teachers and administrators are more than capable of dealing with these situations. The key is guiding the student to realize the impact of what he has said. Students need to learn what is appropriate. Accountability is essential. The editorial seems to trivialize this issue by suggesting it should not be that big of a deal, and that the Woodside coaches, teachers, and administrators overreacted. That is hard for me to swallow as a teacher, a father, and a member of this community.

I must admit the editorial offended me, and I tried to understand its perspective. I frequently hear students echo some of the same sentiments contained in the editorial, but I will never accept the thesis that profanity and hate language is "no big deal." I think the Almanac blew this call, and that is not a crime. Everyone blows a call once in a while, and the measure of our integrity is what we do about it afterwards.

Gary Thurston lives in Menlo Park and teaches at Woodside High School.

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