The Oyster River School District is grappling with a racially charged incident that took place on a school bus earlier this month.
Superintendent Jim Morse says he was taken aback by the revelation that an elementary school student from a biracial family had been bullied with racist language by another student on the bus.
He says the episode was out of character for the district which includes the towns of Durham, Madbury, and Lee.
“You know we were the first district in the state, for example, to pass a transgender policy. And so very clearly we have a history of acceptance and then to have a family go through this in our district is very disconcerting.”
Morse says he’s been working with the families of the students involved but he also wants a district-wide response.
His office is organizing a community event for parents and the public to discuss the incident.
