PRINCIPAL USES RACIAL SLURS ON SCHOOL INTERCOM WHILE CONDEMNING SUCH LANGUAGE
By Ben Kaufmann
County Courier
Enosburg Falls High School principal Joseph Donarum has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into Donarum’s use of inappropriate language on the school’s public address system on Thursday. The announcement of Donarum’s leave came Friday afternoon in a letter from Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union superintendent Lynn Cota.
“The use of those words, especially broadcast to the whole school, is inconsistent with our expectations for performance,” Cota’s letter said. “We have placed Mr. Donarum on paid administrative leave while we investigate the circumstances. Students and staff will be interviewed in the coming days to determine the specifics of the matter and the impact on our students the statements had.”
Donarum shared a letter addressed to EFMHS students, faculty and community on Friday morning expressing his regret over using specific offensive language in what he called “an attempt to identify the perpetrators” who made racist comments at an Enosburg basketball game on Tuesday and forced the removal of the Enosburg student section.
“During my address to the schoolwide community, I identified examples of specific words and language that are offensive, degrading, and harmful to others,” Donarum’s letter said. “I was trying to teach students the kinds of words that could never be used.”
Tuesday’s incident at the basketball game was the second such issue involving racism allegations and Enosburg sports this school year. In the fall, statewide attention was drawn after members of Winooski’s soccer team accused players on the Enosburg boy’s team of using racial slurs. Dunarum was the administrator from Enosburg tasked with investigating the soccer incident.
In a video clip shared with the County Courier and alleged to be taken from inside Enosburg Falls High School while Donarum was speaking, a male voice can be heard over the intercom saying “Students are using words like…” going on to say five specific slurs, including the N-word and multiple anti-LGBTQ terms.
“I realized after that I caused harm and damage to students and staff,” Donarum wrote in his letter. “Just by using those words I perpetrated the harm I was trying to prevent. Though it was not my intention to cause harm, I want to publicly recognize and acknowledge that people were hurt by this. I am so sorry for any harm that I caused by using highly charged, insensitive, and inflammatory language. I made a terrible and inexcusable mistake.“
Donarum was already set to retire this year, with a replacement already hired. According to Cota’s announcement, Timothy Trevithick will be Acting Principal while Donarum is on leave. Incoming principal Matthew Webb is expected to begin at Enosburg on July 1st.
Acting in response to the incident Tuesday night when Enosburg hosted Middlebury, the school has opted to limit game attendance to four spectators per Enosburg athlete and 2 spectators per visiting school athlete. A ticket system is being put in place to hold true to those numbers.
