July 05, 2016
Google/StreetView
William P. Tatem Elementary School in Collingswood, Camden County.
Collingswood officials and Camden County prosecutors have acknowledged there was miscommunication during last month's contentious "brownie" incident at a local elementary school. There's also more to it than has been reported by media outlets, according to a new joint statement.
The Borough of Collingswood, the Collingswood School District and the Camden County prosecutors formally took responsibility on Tuesday for their respective roles in the June 16 incident involving a third-grade student at William P. Tatem Elementary School.
During an end-of-the-year party, the student allegedly made a comment about brownies that another child in the classroom felt was "racist." The teacher, following state policy and guidelines at the county and local levels, called the local police department to have a conversation with the boy.
"We all agree that better communication among the parties could have avoided the resulting controversy and that the disagreements should have been handled through face-to-face discussions rather than unilateral press statements," officials said in Tuesday's statement.
The child's exact words have not been revealed. His mother told Philly.com that her son was simply discussing brownies and had no idea his comments would cause such harm. She was disturbed most by the school's policy to notify law enforcement officials in cases of juvenile disagreement that are unrelated to drugs, weapons or sexual misconduct.
As news of the incident spread, Collingswood Mayor James Maley announced that the directive to contact authorities in such situations had officially been reversed. In Tuesday's statement, however, officials stood behind the school district.
"In regard to the 'brownie' incident that has been written about in the press, borough and county law enforcement support the school district's decision to contact the police as the words were much more incendiary than what has been reported," officials said. "Because that matter is currently under investigation, more information cannot be released at this time."
As a result of recent meetings on the state's Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), schools will now make mandatory referrals to law enforcement only in the most serious of crimes. In all other matters, schools will have complete authority to exercise discretion based on criteria outlined in the MOA.
