Credit: Ainsley Jay

METCO director La Toya Rivers speaks at a Wayland school committee meeting in Boston on Nov. 18.

Parents of students enrolled in the METCO program at Wayland High School called for communication and change from the Wayland School Committee during a meeting on Nov. 18. The meeting, which took place at the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) Inc. Headquarter, was held to address concerns regarding the racist incident that occurred in late October at WHS.

Wayland School Committee members, the Director of the Wayland METCO program La Toya Rivers, Superintendent David Fleishman, Assistant Superintendent Betsy Gavron and WHS Principal Allyson Mizoguchi were all in attendance.

The METCO program update was originally scheduled to take place from 6:50 p.m. to 7:50 p.m., but was extended as parents’ comments and concerns lasted longer than expected.

At the start of the meeting, Rivers gave an update on METCO 2.0, a framework launched in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. METCO 2.0 is designed to target racial inequality in the METCO program.

Rivers asked for parents of students enrolled in the METCO program to fill out a survey, so she could receive feedback on how to improve the Wayland METCO program.

The METCO program was founded in 1966, with the intention to integrate Boston and suburban schools across Massachusetts.

Following River’s introduction, Fleishman asked parents to share their own experiences with the METCO program.

“I don’t even know if I want to relive that [experience] to be honest,” a METCO alum said. “[The] 80s and 90s, [the experience] was completely different.”

One METCO alum recounted his experience as a student. According to this alum, when he played basketball, students would call him and some of his classmates racial slurs, and confederate flags were hung in the gym. He didn’t want to disclose what school he attended.

Attendees also discussed the WHS racist incident that occurred on Oct. 30 that involved a yellow “children at play” sign wearing the jersey of a Black student, which was hung from the ceiling of the boys locker room, according to an email sent to the Wayland community by Mizoguchi on Oct. 31.

“To talk to your son when he went to school and this incident just happened, I almost started crying,” the father of a student enrolled in METCO said. “I was so angry, and [my son] was like ‘it’s not gonna change. I don’t even care. It’s not gonna change.’”

Wayland has experienced a history with racist incidents. In December of 2022, racist graffiti targeting former Superintendent Omar Easy was written on the Wayland community pool. December of 2022 racist graffiti was found at Wayland Middle School.

“It’s up to parents to speak to their child about how to deal with that situation,” a METCO parent said. “We’re asking ‘is [racism] gonna stop?’ It’s never going to stop.”

Fleishman and parents also discussed outside factors, such as social media, that influence racist behavior, particularly among younger white males. Some METCO parents called on families, especially white families, to educate their children on the injustice of racism.

“I think white men need to step up and be a role model for white boys,” Rivers said.

A parent raised a question asking why there can’t be a METCO representative on the School Committee. However, the committee responded by saying members have to be a Wayland resident to run.

One complaint raised by parents included a lack of protocol around student discipline regarding hate crimes. According to the student handbook, bringing weapons to school, hazing and possessing drugs or alcohol all carry specific consequences. However, there is no specific consequence for hate crimes.

“So, what is the punishment for hanging a noose and hanging a dummy with a Black man’s jersey?” a METCO parent asked.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevents schools from releasing information about disciplinary actions that a student faced. Because of this act, the school administration wasn’t able to give the people at attendance direct answers about the discipline the students of the recent racist incident faced.

“To be victimized and then to see the person who victimized you every single day is a slap in the face,” a METCO parent at the meeting said. “The message [that’s] said to the parents is that ‘it’s okay that you offend the little brown boy. You get to come back and still get your education. It’s totally fine.’”

Some parents and members of the community felt the administration had not communicated the gravity of the situation to students and found it concerning that some students were “moving on” and dismissing the incident as “just a joke.”

“Some of the things I’ve heard from some of our high school parents following the incident is that their children, [who] are METCO students, aren’t thinking it’s that serious,” Rivers said.

Currently, two consultants are working with the football team to foster a more inclusive environment, with the first meeting between the consults and the football team taking place around two weeks after the racist incident occurred. Some parents in attendance requested for more updates to be shared about the racist incident.

“We live in a world where racism is everywhere,” a METCO parent said. “But at what point in time do the adults involved say ‘you know what, no, enough is enough.’”