‘Offensive’ music artwork prompts special meeting at Frelinghuysen Middle School, June 8

Frelinghuysen Middle School, sign, file photo,by Kevin Coughlin, March 2017
Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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UPDATE: Is that ‘offensive’ concert poster at FMS just a bad printer?

Concerts at Frelinghuysen Middle School usually send parents home buzzing about the music.

But it’s the cover art for a concert program that has people talking this time–and not in a good way.

An “insensitive and inappropriate” image of a black child in last month’s choral concert program at the Frelinghuysen Middle School has prompted Morris School District officials to schedule a community meeting at the school on Thursday, June 8, 2017, at 7 pm.

School board President Leonard Posey, left, and Supt. Mackey Pendergrast, in September 2015. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
School board President Leonard Posey, left, and Supt. Mackey Pendergrast, in September 2015. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“On behalf of the school and the district we deeply apologize for this inexcusable mistake and the hurt and anger it has caused,” Superintendent Mackey Pendergrast and Principal Joseph Uglialoro said in a message to parents this week.

The cover for the May 31 show was a pen-and-ink cartoon of children singing in a chorus. The lone black child has spiky hair and is completely black, except for cutouts for his or her eyes. It almost looks like the youngster is wearing a dark ski mask.

Parents expressed their concerns at Monday’s district school board meeting, and board members have been receiving lots of telephone complaints, said board President Leonard Posey.

“It was a cover that people found offensive… I found it offensive, too,” said Posey, who is African American.

He declined to comment on who approved the cover or how it came about, and the superintendent could not immediately be reached for comment. Thursday’s meeting, Posey  said, will include further discussion of the matter.

The general public, minorities and, specifically, the African American community, will have an opportunity “to ask questions and express their feelings,” Posey told Morristown Green.

This program cover has sparked controversy at Frelinghuysen Middle School.
This program cover has sparked controversy at Frelinghuysen Middle School.

This episode comes on the heels of a pair of bias incidents that spurred special sensitivity classes and programs at the middle school in Morris Township. 

An anti-Semitic message was scrawled in a girls bathroom in March. Four swastikas were etched in a boys bathroom stall in February.

Frelinghuysen Middle School Principal Joseph Uglialoro listens to Rohan Murphy, March 17, 2017. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Frelinghuysen Middle School Principal Joseph Uglialoro attends an assembly about tolerance in March 2017. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

In their latest message to parents, Pendergrast and Uglialoro said the school and the district “embrace our diversity as our greatest strength.” 

Educators strive to ensure every child is “honored and respected,” they said.

“The image that ended up on the concert flyer is inconsistent with our most cherished values and our most enduring aspirations,” the officials stated.

They pledged to establish procedures so “this mistake never happens again,” and to strive to “increase the cultural awareness, intercultural competencies, and sensitivity of everyone in our school community.”

 

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6 COMMENTS

  1. This is dumbest thing I’ve ever read. Props to the author for putting offensive in quotes.

  2. This is RIDICULOUS!!!! I was there and didn’t even notice it! I have a child in this school and it SUCKS that this is an issue! It wasn’t intentional! The poor person who printed this didn’t wake up that morning and say “I’m going to make a kid in black face to piss off the African American Community!” It happend it was a mistake, it was brought to the attention to the proper people and a letter went out! Now 8 days later CBS news is doing a story on this at 6:00 tonight. Why don’t they talk about some REALLY important issues as in kids selling pills in a middle school. Why don’t they talk about kids that post pictures of themselves with marijuana on Snapchat or Instagram(whatever it is I can’t keep up anymore)? Why don’t they talk about how Morris Township Schools are 3rd in the state in INCREASES of DRUG related incidents? Nooooo we will waste time about an honest mistake. Our children are getting hooked on pills,heroin, crystal meth and GOD knows what else and it’s REAL! The numbers don’t lie. Move on from this mistake and focus our time on something that’s going to put a child in a casket. I have heard the stories from other parents that their children have told them and they match up what with mine tell me. There are HARD drugs in MTSD in a school that houses 6,7,8 grades, in my opinion the “black face” issue was addressed and should be over.

  3. Why is is offensive in quotes. It was offensive!! Not maybe, or someONE said it was or probably offenaive. It waa plain old offensive and DELIBERATE!!! “Mistakes” like this do not happen in a school system such as MSD! Take the quotes off of offensive. Saying CLEARLY a white person wrote this…would be considered “offensive” or just offensive?

  4. WOW! Diversity is one of the schools greatest strengths? What’s next, the schools cafeteria food is on of the best in the county? That picture doesn’t look like a kid in a ski mask, because last time I checked, ski masks cover the hair too. Did they want the person who made this flyer, give the black child black eyes as well. Then they would complain saying that the drawing depicted a black child being abused. Could have just left out the black child off the flyer? Oh wait, that would be racist. Even middle school concert flyers have to be racially correct, or you have loud mouth parents who yell racism. Glad my child won’t be attending this school or any other school in this district. If people want everyone to be diverse and respected it needs to be the parents getting of their stupid phones and raising their kids with morals and respect. Not letting them do what they want. Wake up parents your kids learn from you, you are leaders in your homes! Teach them how they should treat people, that way if being diverse means to be respected. Then they can be respected for being diverse. Then parents can get off there high horses and stop having to stick their noses in to petty stuff like this.

  5. With dozens of FMS and MHS students recognized at the Board of Education meeting for so many amazing athletic or musical achievements, it’s sad that this was MorristownGreen’s takeaway article, an unfortunately printing error that occurred with clearly no intention to offend? Sad that you chose an attempt to sensationalize a minor issue when you had sensational students that you could have recognized.

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