Dublin Scioto High School wasn’t the only school district in the area with these issues. The superintendent of nearby, who is Black, addressed systemic racism and police brutality in a back-to-school letter, and faced criticism from community members and the Clearview School Board for the choice. Staff and faculty, unlike students, teachers are not considered public citizens when it comes to freedom of speech, according to Sara Clark, chief legal counsel at Ohio School Boards Association.
For Bob Scott, Scioto’s principal and one of the staff members wearing the T-shirts, McGary’s shirts were not controversial or political—they were supportive of the students who make Scioto great. “[Lucy]’s just a large part of our spirit in the building,” Scott said. “It’s not a one time event for her. It’s not a T-shirt event for her. It’s a way of life for her. It’s just who she is.”
McGary said that her experience creating the T-shirts showed her just how broken the community really is, but it also allowed her to see just how many people are working to “piece it back together.” As a black student to look up at your administration and see that they’re standing with you and trying to end this suffering. THAT is the defining moment of me as a student being seen as more than a stereotype and number or just another body. THAT is my SCHOOL fighting for meIt “just shows me to be thankful for the community that I’m in,” McGary said.
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