Andrew Jones, #3, pictured in full beard during this past basketball season.
The following is a letter I sent to Tangipahoa Schools Superintendent Mark Kolwe and their school board.
26 May 2016
Dear Superintendent Kolwe,
Last night, I watched “The Nightly Show” with Larry Wilmore. In the first
segment, he discussed the case of Andrew Jones at Amite High School. Living in
New Orleans, I was already aware of the case, but I watched Wilmore present the
absurdity of this situation to the nation. For the past week, this case has been a
national embarrassment to the school, the parish, and the entire state. For me,
it represents a tremendous lack of judgment and a colossal failure of
leadership. It also exposed blatant hypocrisy present in your school system.
So, I began to research this situation more closely and I want to present
my findings. My hope is that you will issue a public apology to Mr. Jones and
his family. Additionally, since this once in a lifetime event was ruined
because of what appears to have been an ego contest with an 18 year old, I recommend
that you offer restitution to him in the form of a scholarship for college.
In your letter, which appears in the Amite Tangi Digest, you
write:
The Tangipahoa Parish School Board Student
Dress Code Policy states that “beards will not be allowed.” As Superintendent,
I am obligated to ensure that all Board policies are followed.
Indeed, the Student & Parent
Handbook explicitly states
this on page 8 under Student Dress Code, item #1 under dress code regulations
grades 4-12. On page 9, it then describes how dress code violations will be
handled, with the first violation resulting in a notice to parents and students
(essentially a warning), and a subsequent violation resulting in a one day
suspension due to disrespect of authority.
So the question is, why would you wait until graduation, after he has
completed all requirements to graduate and will no longer attend the school, to
finally enforce a policy that has been unenforced for an entire year? More
specifically, why would you punish your top student, 4.0 grade point average,
and three-sport athlete with academic and athletic scholarships to Southeastern
Louisiana University, on the very last day of his formal association with Amite
High School?
Yes, you are obliged to ensure the policies are followed. But policies
were ignored during the football season. He was allowed to play football
against Bogalusa in October, where the Amite Tangi Digest reported, “This would help set up a scoring
drive that resulted in Walker hitting Andrew Jones for a 33-yard touchdown
reception.” He was still playing in November, as the team played against Port
Barre, The Advocate wrote “A fumbled punt snap gave Amite the
ball at the Port Barre 39, and Walker drilled Andrew Jones with a 39-yard
touchdown pass that made it 40-0.” He wore a full beard, in plain view, all
through basketball season in the spring.
The height of the hypocrisy is that you personally made a case for an
exception to a rule in the name of fairness for students. In late November, a
fight between Amite and Bogalusa resulted in Amite being removed from the football
playoffs for violating the Louisiana High School Athletic Association rule that
players are automatically suspended for the next game if they leave the bench
area during an altercation. In fact, you sued because you felt the decision was
too harsh. In an Advocate article, it reads “Taking away the
opportunity for senior players to continue their quest for a state title was
also deemed unfair by the Tangipahoa contingent.”
At a school where only 36% of the students go to college within a year,
where 80% of them are Black, and the average ACT is below 16, you are more willing
to fight for students to participate in athletics than you are for an athlete who
shows academic accomplishment to give his valedictory address at his only high
school graduation.
This facial hair rule, one that was not enforced all year long, is now non-negotiable
at the very end of the year. Again referencing the handbook, page 10 explains
discipline and indicates that administrators will “implement the Student Code
of Conduct in a fair and consistent manner” (#3), “implement Board policy in a
fair and consistent manner” (#7), and “use professional judgment to prevent
minor incidents from becoming major challenges” (#5). There is nothing fair or
consistent in the implementation of this rule, and now this minor incident has
become a national embarrassment.
The interim principal, and you as superintendent, failed on these
responsibilities. However, if you are willing to exercise leadership, you can
work to make amends to Andrew Jones and his family. Here are my suggestions:
1.
A public apology should be issued to Andrew Jones
and his family. It is still okay to say “I’m sorry” and “We made a mistake.”
2.
Work within the local community to find a venue for
Andrew to give his commencement address. He should still be afforded that
opportunity.
3.
Some form of restitution would be appropriate in the
form of a scholarship to assist with his first year of college. That moment has
passed and cannot be relived, but a scholarship would serve as a tangible
expression of regret.
Please understand that these actions display a, hopefully unconscious,
bias that allows you to advocate for Black students on the field or court, but
to be punitive when it comes to academics. The vast majority of them will never
be professional athletes, but they can use their athletic ability to pay for
college. And so when you have a true scholar athlete like Andrew, he must be
celebrated profusely so that he becomes a role model for others to follow.
It is my hope that you will rectify this situation as best as possible.
Sincerely,
Walter M. Kimbrough, Ph.D.
