Mahomet-Seymour students look for statement against bullying from District

By Dani Tietz

Editor’s Note: Because of the horrific nature of what Mahomet-Seymour students went through on Thursday and Friday, the Mahomet Daily has elected to keep the names and identities of students anonymous in this article. All students are referred to as (they)/(them)/(their), in order to maintain some anonymity for the minors. 

Accounts are provided by Mahomet-Seymour High School students and social media posts that had been captured throughout the two days. The district was asked specific questions as to the reports collected by the Mahomet Daily. Their statement is included at the end of the article.

Some Mahomet-Seymour students want district administration to take a stand against hate after a string of assaults, both verbal and physical, took place towards the end of Spirit Week at the high school.

“They didn’t make any statement, none at all and they still haven’t made any statement about the bullying,” a student said about the events at the high school. 

As part of Spirit Week, Thursday was designated as U.S.A. day by the high school as it prepared to honor military and law enforcement at Friday’s homecoming game against Lincoln. While many in the school were decked out in red, white, blue or camo attire, one student chose to wear a Pride flag to represent the LBGTQIA+ community in America.

Prior to Friday morning, wearing flags to school was never an issue. In 2018, the district allowed students to wear the confederate flag despite calls for the administration to remove offensive symbols on school property. Students have also been allowed to wear Pride flags or American flags and capes in the past as well as flying flags from the back of their vehicles throughout the school year. 

Flags seemed to be allowed on Thursday as one student was not asked to remove the flag that was worn all day draped over the shoulders. However, the student was targeted by peers, being called the f-slur throughout the day, not only for displaying the Pride flag, but also for not standing during the Pledge of Allegiance, which reportedly, the student had not done the entire year.

The student was also referred to as “it” by other students in the classroom setting and on social media. 

The social media post read:

“There’s an ‘it’ in my class and it’s wearing stuff for cosplay and LBGTQ flags at school but today’s theme for school is U.S.A. day and won’t stand for Pledge of Allegiance. That’s honestly so gosh dang disgusting and disrespectful. Be (effing) grateful for what freedom this country has given you to even be dressed like that. I hope you trip up the stairs and drop your crap.”

“I can’t believe that the school would allow this and let this fly by,” a student said. 

Just a few hours later that same student who heard another be referred to as “it” listened to a group talk at lunch about how the Pride flag “infringed” on other students’ rights during U.S.A. day. 

“It’s supposed to be all about us,” a student recalled the group saying. 

The student also heard those at the other table plan an assault on the student with a flag. 

“One of them was saying, ‘I just want to rip that flag off.I hate it so much.’ The other one was encouraging (them) like, ‘Why won’t you do it?’ And (they were) like, ‘Man, you know, I’m thinking about it.’”

During the school day on Thursday, after watching some of the student body reaction to the Pride flag, and how they treated the wearer, many students began to rally together to wear Pride gear on Friday. 

Two students put out a post on social media, and went to the craft store on Thursday evening to buy beads for Pride bracelets. That night they took just short of 40 orders. 

Other students decided to wear other gear, including American flags or Trump attire, to school on Friday.

By the time Friday morning rolled around, students woke to word that a peer, who was not involved with any of the discussions Thursday, had been assaulted. The student posted on social media that (they) had been called the f-slur throughout the day on Thursday. That same student posted that after school (they) had been knocked out at the knees. As (they) were on the ground, the assaulters started “singing the Pledge of Allegiance” over (them).

After seeing these posts, the call for solidarity could not have been stronger among the LBGTQIA+ supporters.

“Our whole motive is to support those who were bullied, it doesn’t even come to matter if they are gay or LGBTQ at all. It’s the fact that they are being bullied. That’s what we want statements on and that’s what we want to change,” a student said.

“We wanted them to know that if you don’t give love or support at home, there’s love and support at school for you,” another student said.

“It was beautiful how many people participated in wearing rainbow colors. That’s what broke my heart. I was deeply upset because everyone was so excited. Everyone who participated wearing rainbow or their pride colors were so excited and so happy to be there and participating in it.”

Instead of feeling like Mahomet-Seymour High School is a safe place on Friday, one student is now questioning if the learning environment will ever be a safe space again.

(They) arrived at school before the doors opened with a Pride flag weaved into the belt loop as the fabric hung to (their) ankles. The student walked through the commons area, which at the time was scattered with staff, but still bare compared to how it would be moments later.

“There’s no way that they (the administrators) could have not seen me,” (they) said. “I’m talking to my friends. I’m meeting new people. And then someone found out that there were rainbow stamps by the field house. So we’re like, okay, let’s go do that.”

The students knew they would have to travel back through the commons area, which would now be congested, to get to class in the next 10-15 minutes, so when 8:05 a.m. came, they headed back to the spot they began at in front of the auditorium in the commons. 

The student reports that school administrators were near where (they) stopped.

“And then someone is behind me, and I feel water on the back of my arm. I turn around and there are two boys, one of them is wearing a football jersey. I did not catch the number or anything because of the moment. They’re reading Bible verses at me and throwing what I’m assuming is ‘holy water,’” they said. 

According to reports, sprinkling water and holding a Bible over student’s heads while citing scripture is something those in the LBGTQIA+ community experienced throughout the day. Students in the LBGTQIA+ community were also afraid to go to the restroom after the assaults.

“They were scared to be out of the eyes of a teacher,” a student said.

“It’s just disgusting,” a student said. “I want to say to these parents: these are the kids you’re bringing to church every Sunday, who you think are these amazing kids, but they’re coming to school and they’re bullying kids for who they want to be. That’s not what I believe in. I’m a Christian, I love God, but I know how to love people and respect them.”

While staff did not stop this assault, the assaulted student was told to take off the Pride flag around (their) waist.

The student’s mother, who had already reviewed the district dress code prior to sending her child to school, sought clarification on how the flag was in violation of what was laid out in policy. The school dress code does restrict some clothing apparel, but while certain items are recognized as violations, flags are not.

Students report that policy seemed to change in real time on Friday as anyone who wore flags on Friday was asked to take them off; and if they did not, they were asked to leave school for the day. Some students were confused as to why they had to remove the flags after they had received permission from some school officials the day before.

“Then you could just see that diminish as they walked in and were told to put their flags in the bag,” a student said. “That’s what broke my heart.”

While the majority of students did take the flags off, including the student who was assaulted in front of the auditorium, one student refused to take off (their) Pride flag when approached at lunch hour. 

The student called (their) mother earlier in the day, saying Friday might be the first day (they) got in trouble at school.

“Their (the administration’s) claim was that this is a distraction to the learning process,” a student familiar with the situation said. “But (they were) not distracting anything. (They were) quiet and didn’t say anything. It’s the other students who were distracting themselves from it and making a big deal.”

(They) were also told that there was a distinction when a flag was worn over the shoulders.

According to the student, the administration cited the district policy that states attire cannot be a distraction to the learning environment, pointing out that the colors on the flag were bright and noticeable.

“It’s nothing but a coat or a cape,” the student said. “Other people were allowed to wear capes, with no issue. It was Orange and Blue day, and there was a student, and there is nothing wrong with it; (they were) doing their part and doing spirit week, they wore a bright orange cape. And no issue, but they kept saying that the issue was the fact that we were wearing this cape.”

Students didn’t understand why the sudden change, feeling like it was directed at the LBGTQIA+ community. They also didn’t understand how parents and teachers throughout the community knew about the assaults that happened, yet the high school staff did nothing about it, other than make students take off their flags.

The student tried to explain the reason behind wearing the Pride gear on Friday while also telling school officials that some students don’t trust or open up to adults because they don’t see any follow through in words or actions. 

“You’ve made zero statements about the bullying that’s been all over school,” the student said. “And the only thing that these students have seen from you is you taking away our Pride flags. That is the only level of statement that we got at all.”

Students who wore a Pride flag were not the only ones targeted, though. There was a report of a student with a Pride bracelet on getting water poured down (their) back during the football game on Friday night. 

“We’re not asking for them to completely be behind us because that’s not fair to the other students, but we want them to say no bullying of any kind is acceptable in the school and real actions will be taken,” a student said.

At the time of the interview, students believed that because the assaults took place on campus, they were outside of the scope of the law. But, 720 ILCS 5/12-7.1, the Illinois Hate Crime Law states that crimes that are committed by reason of the actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or national origin of another individual or group of individuals are also covered while on school grounds.

Students say they haven’t lost hope for the Mahomet community, though.

“We don’t want this swept under the rug,” a student said. “We want it talked about. We want people to learn. We want Mahomet to change. We already have a bad rap for being racist and starting to get one for being homophobic.

“It’s a great town with lots of loving people, but we also have a lot of people who are very mean.”

Dozens in the Mahomet community came to a pop-up Pride event at the Mahomet Soda Festival on Saturday. Free hugs were offered. One student said it meant a lot to have one school board member show up and express heartfelt solidarity.

Some of the LBGTQIA+ students said that prior to Thursday they felt supported by the school district in the way that they took steps to accommodate different requests. They said teachers who are a safe place, show them in little ways like wearing a Pride pin or making resources available. 

The students said that they could feel some of the teachers stand in unity with them on Thursday and Friday as events unfolded. 

The public display of colors also made students who may not have the support system at home or in the community feel like there was someone who they could turn to. 

“It helps show there are people here who are just like them,” a student said.

The student who wore the flag on Thursday had two peers come up to say that they thought the student was “brave” for wearing the flag. 

“‘I could never do that,’’ a student nearby heard. ‘You’re amazing.’ It kind of opened my eyes: there’s a lot more people in the closet and scared, and scared of the school, than we realize.”

Other students said that they were still trying to figure out how the school would support them through groups like the Gay-Straight Alliance, which, like many clubs, took a hit due to COVID-19 mitigations. 

But really, the day-to-day support for these students comes from their parents who, on Friday, dropped everything to pick them up from school or help them process what had happened in the last 48 hours. 

Parents are now looking for answers to what happened at the end of the school week and how their child will be protected by the district in the future.

One parent told his child, “instead of fixing the problem, and doing the hard thing which is going to the root and fixing other people’s bad behavior because they can’t control themselves, you’re infringing on (their) constitutional rights of free speech and expression.”

The Mahomet Daily asked some of the same questions in an email interview Sunday with school personnel. The district was asked if they were aware of the assaults; if any action had been taken to identify the abusers; if law enforcement had been contacted; how they planned to protect students going forward; clarification on the district’s flag-wearing decisions; and if the district would make a statement regarding what happened.

Principal Chad Benedict wrote back with the following statement:

“At Mahomet-Seymour High School, we have approximately 1,030 students.  Each of those students comes to us with unique talents, personalities, and beliefs. Conflicts arise among our students. We work through situations on a daily basis in a way that we hope brings not only a solution for those involved, but also more understanding for varying points of view. In a time where there seems to be so much controversy and struggle in our society, we want to teach acceptance and compassion for fellow classmates. This is an ongoing process that takes time. It is not easy and cannot happen in a single school day. We are aware of some unfortunate conflicts that took place last week and are working through them.”