Paly parent Suzanne Attenborough released the following open letter to the Paly community tonight, Sept. 24.

Everyone has lost sight of the real problem with the events of Friday, Aug. 29, in and around the Paly campus. The real issue is safety for all students and being kind and welcoming to new students.

When did it become necessary for adults to warn children that it is unacceptable behavior to hit another child (or another person of any age?), to throw things at another child, to call another child nasty names (as I understand it, epitaphs included “F— you freshmen. F–ing freshmen go home. Freshmen, we don’t f—ing want you at Paly.”)? I don’t know about Palo Alto schools, but I learned the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behavior in kindergarten; and I imagine that all of the Paly students involved did also.

I have heard ad nauseam the argument that water balloons are something we do at birthday parties and picnics, how can anyone know that throwing one is wrong. At parties and picnics both sides have an arsenal of water balloons, both sides agree to participate in the game, and both sides are dressed for the activity: it is a consensual experience. The water balloons on Aug. 29 were thrown from the Embarcadero railroad bridge – probably 20-30 feet above the sidewalk – at unsuspecting passersby. Many seniors took Physics last year and they should all know that F=m*d, that means the force is greater the greater the distance. So tossing a water balloon from a few feet away is completely different from hurtling one from 30 feet above.

This event looks and smells like hazing, but at the very least, it is bullying. Freshman, due to their age and physical stature, were singled out for mistreatment by older students.

The State Education Code (that is state law) states that hazing is a suspendible offense and bodily injury is an expellable offense. PAUSD has a policy against bullying. I applaud the administration for making the Paly campus a safe place for new and current students. If any seniors have sufficiently guilty consciences that they are “living in fear of being caught,” I suggest the child confess and take his punishment.

One point Dr. McEvoy made that I found incredibly poignant is that a suspension allows a parent to spend time discussing with the child what happened and why. This may be uncomfortable for some parents, but teaching your child right from wrong is part of the job description.

You may not agree with the rules or laws, but if you do not follow them there will be consequences. If you do not like the rules or laws, then work to change them, don’t break them and then whine about consequences. Anyone who thinks that ignorance of the law is an excuse should speak to someone who has had recent dealings with the IRS.

In summary, shame on parents and the Voice editors for placing the blame for children behaving badly on the lack of a warning from Paly adults to not behave badly. Of course, you are not supposed to behave badly! No one needs to tell you that.

The senior class should be mortified that this happened on their campus and should take collective responsibility and abjectly apologize to the community at large and to the freshman class.

I challenge the student leadership, including class officers, the ASB, and student editors of the publications, to rise above the fray and make this whole nasty situation better, instead of perpetuating and increasing the nastiness.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Attenborough

Editor’s note: Attenborough wrote this letter as a private citizen, however, she serves as Paly’s PTSA president.