09/29/2020
let the appeals ✨begin.
“Since Monday, September 21, 2020, Hensley has been on a leave of absence as a result of the investigation. However, the district’s report failed to treat allegations of Hensley’s racism with the same seriousness as his s*xual miscondut, and therefore, AUHSD’s decision upholds white supremacy and fails to protect students of color.
AUHSD’s decision is unacceptable and unfair to Black students and non-Black students of color who were targeted by Taron Hensley while attempting to go to school. An educator’s racist behavior toward one student should be sufficient to constitute discrimination on the basis of race; in this case, multiple students spoke to the investigator about Hensley’s racism, and AUHSD still failed to proprely assess his offenses. By deciding that Hensley’s racism doesn’t constitute “discrimination on the basis of race,” AUHSD fails to take BIPOC experiences seriously. By protecting racist educators like Hensley, AUHSD is setting a low bar for the quality of their students’ education, but more significantly, AUHSD is continuing to endanger Black students and non-Black students of color on their campuses. The reason for this appeal is simple: students of color deserve to be supported and protected at school. Thank you for ensuring the re-examination of AUHSD’s decision and supporting zero-tolerance for racism in AUHSD.”
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