After KKK flyers were found in Freeport on Monday Morning, RSU5 Superintendent Becky Foley sent this message home to parents and students:

From: Ginny McManus <mcmanusg@rsu5.org>
Date: Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 8:40 AM
Subject: [FMS Notices] Letter to the RSU5 Community from Superintendent Foley
To:

Dear RSU5 School Community:

As you may have read in the media, there were KKK flyers distributed to a number of driveways in Freeport and Augusta on Monday. This is disturbing to those who received them and to those of us who are a part of this community. Bigotry and hate have no place in RSU5. I want to assure you as a school community, we will stand up and fight against the beliefs of any organization that promote one race, religion, or group above another.

Our children watch how we respond to such events, and as the superintendent of RSU5, I want to assure you that we do not condone such actions. Instead, our community will sow seeds of inclusiveness. We will continue to teach our students tolerance and respect for one another; our nation has been built from the contributions of many groups and people, not one. We must understand that organizations like the KKK exist from a position of ignorance, and the most powerful weapon to fight against this ignorance is education. We will continue to teach and promote social and racial justice in our schools.

Above all else, we want our students to know that they are safe in our schools. We will work endlessly to create a safe and engaging environment for our students to grow and learn. Our schools promote compassion, working to lift one another up, not divisiveness. Today and every day, we will stand up to those who promote hate over compassion. I’m so proud to be a part of a community that is outraged and disgraced by these flyers that touched RSU5 soil.

Sara Gideon, Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, and other community leaders will assemble tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Freeport Community Center to create a space of safety, compassion, and peace. Please feel free to join us for this event if your schedule allows. Let’s stand up and fight for a stronger community, one that is not afraid to combat hate.

“…where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.”
(Peace Prayer of Saint Francis)

Sincerely,
Dr. Becky Foley
Superintendent RSU5
foleyb@rsu5.org

Freeport's community meeting was held on Tuesday night, and an overflow crowd broke out into song in the community center parking lot. Watch the video here.

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