BERNE  — In response to a March 19 Enterprise article about racial slurs being used against black students at Berne-Knox-Westerlo, the district’s interim superintendent issued a statement assuring parents that harassment and bullying are not tolerated at the school.

Racism was the subject of several comments on Facebook and in letters to the Enterprise editor after the article, which described the experience of a seventh-grader, one of a handful of black students at BKW, and her mother’s frustration with what she described as administrators’ lack of response.

“We cannot guarantee that a student will never say or do something to another student that will be disrespectful or inappropriate, but we can guarantee that we have never condoned, nor will we ever condone, such a hateful and hurtful act as using racial slurs or other harmful language toward the children in our care,” the response said.

A boy, who seventh-grader Amyah Trossbach had reported calling her a “nigger,” asked her after the article was published why she had to “‘rat him out, you little bitch,’” her mother, Donna Parker, reported Friday.

Interim Secondary School Principal Mary Summermatter called during school that day, Parker said.

“She could see that the needs of my children were not being met by BKW school district and she wanted to meet with me so we could figure out a fix to the problem,” said Parker. Parker said she was glad to have the call but disappointed it followed a newspaper article.

Speaking to The Enterprise on Thursday, Parker said Summermatter asked for background on Amyah's experiences and proposed changing her schedule to avoid intersecting classes between her and the boy.

The superintendent’s statement, signed by Joseph Natale, noted the school participates in anti-bullying programs, like a field trip for ninth-graders, a campaign to highlight acts of kindness through the Albany County District Attorney’s Office, and a system used in the elementary school to reinforce respectful behavior. (The statement was submitted by the district’s public relations officer, William DeVoe, as a letter to the editor, printed on page 3.)

Natale’s statement said the district promptly investigates harassment allegations, but said it “cannot comment on specific disciplinary matters.”

Parker was dismissive of the statement. She believes the anti-bullying field trip should be extended to lower grades, not just the first year of high school. “If they respond quickly to other issues, OK, but not with my daughter, they haven’t,” she said.

When called for comment, Natale had DeVoe respond.

“In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the district will not comment on specific disciplinary matters concerning students,” DeVoe wrote in an email, including comment on the school’s response to a report of bullying.

While FERPA prohibits the disclosure of records with personally identifiable information, it does not prevent school officials from talking about their observations, even if they involve information in those records.

DeVoe’s statement on talking about disciplinary matters concluded, “Additionally, as a matter of due process, fairness and integrity, the district does not find it constructive or appropriate to discuss in public the disciplinary actions taken against the minors in our care.”

“I don't know why after years they think they’re gonna change peoples opinions and thoughts,” Justin Hoogkamp wrote in a comment to the Enterprise article on Facebook. Referring to Steve Rothwein, who had been stationed at BKW in 2003, he went on, “I remember when trooper Steve came in and told us that if we used that word that we could be put under hate crime. We still used it...Nothing happened.”