By MATT LINDSEY

POTSDAM -- An altercation following a racial slur made by a Potsdam Central student resulting in two arrests has triggered the school to further address racial and bullying issues as well as clear up rumors.

During lunch last Friday, a student used a racial slur in a conversation with friends at his table and the remark was heard by students at a nearby table, which included three African-American students, a letter sent out to Potsdam Central parents said.

A verbal altercation ensued between the two groups and Potsdam Village Police were called in to deescalate the situation.

A letter sent out to all PCS parents reads: “There is a rumor that last Wednesday the high school went into lockdown because of a threat of violence against the school. In fact, a "hold-in-place" (which is a process we use to hold the students and staff in their current classroom until an issue in the building is resolved) was initiated as we had a student in crisis. We were working with the student's parents, and they requested we involve the police to assist. No threat of violence was made, and all students and staff were safe.

The letter goes on to say there were rumors that two students were arrested last Friday for standing up to a student who had used a racial slur. A short video of the arrest of one of the students was posted on Facebook.

“Two students were arrested for disorderly conduct as a result of making threatening statements, the letter reads. A student used a cell phone to capture the last 30 seconds or so of this incident on video, and that video was shared on social media. Interim Chief of Police Mark Murray, reviewed the footage of the incident and arrest, and concluded that no unnecessary force was used. [There was also a rumor that a police Taser was used. This is not true.] The students involved in the incident received disciplinary consequences per the Code of Conduct.

“There was not a prior history between the students,” Potsdam Central Superintendent Joann Chambers said.

On Monday morning, two parents of students stood across from the high school with a sign encouraging zero tolerance for bullying in the Potsdam schools.

“I spoke with those parents about their concerns, including their concerns that bullying and harassment exists in our schools and that the district's response to bullying is inadequate and ineffective," Chambers said. “Those parents also addressed the Board of Education last Tuesday evening and stressed the importance of District continuing to work on these issues.

Chambers said she met with concerned parents earlier this week and called the meeting “productive.”

She said everyone came out of the meeting “with a good understanding” of the situation.

One point Chambers made was that staff can not react or handle issues if they are not aware of them.

“Our staff can’t respond if we don't know there is an issue,” he said.

The letter says that moving forward, PCS plans to:

1. Convene a meeting with our counselors, administrators, and some community members and representatives of the local colleges to brainstorm ways to help teach and heal our students. I have also invited our former students who have been critical to attend this meeting. I think that with their experiences as college students coupled with their intimate knowledge of our high school, these students could be particularly helpful.

2. Engage our student leaders to be part of the solution. We recognize the power students have to influence the culture of their school.

3. Bring in a program that will then serve as a touchstone for staff and students. We can use a powerful shared experience to bring clarity to our goals.

4. Explore other possible approaches, such as the Positivity Project and, perhaps, peer mediation and/or restorative circles.

5. Form a district-wide committee to look for ways to embrace the diversity in our students and the families in our community.

6. Continue to collaborate with the administration and faculty at SUNY Potsdam, as they are experiencing their own challenges in some of these areas.

7. Continue to use the results of our School Climate Survey to identify particular areas of focus and to measure the effectiveness of our efforts.

“We want to take a multi-pronged approach,” she said.

Brainstorming sessions will include former students who are home from college.

“It makes me proud as their former principal that they are interested,” Chambers said. “We will look at all possible approaches.”

School officials will work with student leaders to help bridge communication about a solution.

“Some students have stepped up and said ‘how can help…what can I do?” Chambers said.

In the midst of this, a student put up a poster saying, "All Lives Matter."

She had spoken with administrators and explained that she wanted to make sure that the district's anti-bullying position pertained to bullying for any reason, including sexual orientation, Chambers said.

This posting generated further social media and other comment.

On Wednesday night, a former student posted a video on social media critical of the district's handling of these events. The video criticized administrators for having an assembly and talking with students about diversity and cultural awareness; a teacher for using a racial slur in class in her discussion of racism; and allowing the "All Lives Matter" poster to be displayed in the school building.

The student then recorded himself entering school and destroying the poster.

“We want all in the District's community to know that the Board of Education, District other administrators, staff, and I are committed to maintaining a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all students,” the letter says.