The tenor of political dialogue in the months leading up to last week’s presidential election led many members of minority groups — particularly Latinos — to fear a possible backlash in the wake of the President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.
So far, at least, there have been only a few isolated incidents reported locally.
An incident at Mattituck High School last week, reportedly related to racial bias, prompted disciplinary action and a school assembly.
Mattituck-Cutchogue Schools Superintendent Dr. Anne Smith, in response to an inquiry, characterized it as as “a behavioral incident last week that was unfortunate,” but did not provide details.
High School principal Shawn Petretti “called the high school classes together to review and remind students about what we stand for based on our Mission Statement and our Code of Conduct,” Smith said. “The response was positive from the student body.”
The Mattituck-Cutchogue School District does not tolerate discrimination, bullying or harassment in its schools, the superintendent said.
The other school districts have seen no similar incidents, according to officials.
“We are clearly being mindful that civility and respect should be the order of the day,” Southold and Greenport Superintendent David Gamberg said. “As of today [Nov. 16], I can report that things have been fairly quiet in both districts,” he said.
Riverhead Schools Superintendent Nancy Carney said, “We have had a couple of incidents of inappropriate comments at the high school which have been immediately addressed.” Principals in the K-8 schools report no incidents of bullying or harassment, she said.
“We are well aware that some students are emotional with the outcome of the election, but we have tried to encourage all students to remember a free exchange of ideas is an important component of the democratic process,” Carney said.
“Discussions [in the classroom] should be productive debates rather than hate talk,” Riverhead High School principal Charles Regan told his staff in an email. “Our role in the classroom is to ensure that all voices are heard. More importantly, that all voices are welcome. Discussions of a political nature should be curriculum-appropriate,” Regan wrote.
Sister Margaret Smyth, director of the North Fork Spanish Apostolate, said she’s been pleasantly surprised by not only the lack of any backlash against Latinos following the election but also the people who have contacted her to ask how they could help.
“We’ve had people calling here to ask how they can help their family members, friends, coworkers, and neighbors who are undocumented immigrants,” Smyth said. “At first I was surprised by the number of people who reached out. But when you think about it, many of these immigrants have been living in our community for a long time. They’ve put down roots. They’ve made friendships and built relationships.”
The biggest issue for undocumented Latino immigrants in the community is the uncertainty about what will come next.
“Beginning the day after the election, we began to have people coming in here for help applying for passports for their children,” Smyth said. Undocumented immigrants, fearing deportation, want to have passports for their U.S.-born children ready, so they can travel with them if their fears materialize.
“They’re afraid of having their families torn apart,” she said. “They want to stay together, of course, no matter what.”
