Board member allegedly called
Black Lives Matter
a ‘terrorist organization’
by Rob Taylor Jr.
Courier Staff Writer
The Black Student Alliance of Jefferson Hills wants West Jefferson Hills School District board member Jill Bertini to resign immediately, and they won’t rest until she does.
The West Jefferson Hills School District encompasses the South Hills areas of Pleasant Hills, Jefferson Hills and West Elizabeth. Black students comprise just three percent of the nearly 900 students that attend the well-known Thomas Jefferson High School which anchors the district.
Many of them were outraged that a school board member, Bertini, who is white, allegedly took to her personal Facebook page last week to declare that the Black Lives Matter movement was “a terrorist organization.”
She allegedly said on her private Facebook account that she has “the right to my opinions and this is how I see it. I am sick and tired of being told what I am allowed to say, feel or think.”
Bertini also allegedly said that Joe Biden “isn’t winning just like Hillary (Clinton) wasn’t winning,” the Black NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace “is not a victim,” and that “there is NO White Privilege, we all have the exact same American privilege. Work for what you want to achieve!”
Bertini then brought slavery into the mix, allegedly saying: “There are no slave owners or slaves still living in America (except for child sex slaves).”
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS rallied at the Old Clairton Road entrance to the high school on Friday, Sept. 25, protesting comments allegedly made by school board member Jill Bertini on her Facebook page. (Photo by Courier photographer Rob Taylor Jr.)
“We were all appalled because, as a school board leader, you stand for the students…and for you to say that (former NFL quarterback) Colin Kaepernick’s not a hero, that the Black Lives Matter movement is a terror organization…terrorism is violence. We’re not violent students at all, but that’s how she made us look,” said Zyan Barrett, a senior at the school and member of the Black Student Alliance of Jefferson Hills. “As a leader, what type of mentality do you have to say this about people that you stand for?… She doesn’t deserve to have kids from ages 5 to 18 in her responsibility. She doesn’t deserve it at all. We want her to resign.”
ZYAN BARRETT
Barrett made his comments during a rally outside of the Thomas Jefferson school grounds on Friday, Sept. 25. He was joined by other members of the Black Student Alliance, who organized the rally, but were not allowed to protest near the high school. Instead, they congregated at the Thomas Jefferson High School sign, which sits on Old Clairton Road, marching on the street, emphatic that Bertini resign from her school board post.
Aside from Bertini, Black Student Alliance members stepped to the microphone demanding more Black educators in the West Jefferson Hills School District, a Black History class become a requirement for every high school student to graduate, and Black History is celebrated throughout the school district.
Barrett discussed how some Black students at the high school have heard a teacher tell students “that it’s OK for them to say the N-word in our faces,” and that a student threatened to “shoot all the Black people in the school.” Barrett said his fellow Black students have had to walk through the halls of the school and wonder, “is today going to be the day we die?”
Barrett told the media that the school administration was aware of the student who made the threat, but the administration couldn’t divulge what action was taken against the unnamed student.
Pete Murphy, the principal of Thomas Jefferson High School, wrote in a letter to students and parents that “the administration, teachers and staff of this high school are unequivocally against discrimination, racism, bullying and intolerance. Every student has the right to feel safe and feel welcome in their school. Those who impede or take away others’ rights for a safe learning environment will be immediately dealt with and within the limits of school law.”
But when it comes to school board members, neither Murphy nor other administrators have the legal authority to remove a board member from their post, nor have any West Jefferson Hills School District administrators publicly admonished Bertini.
“More time to spread her hate,” said Tanisha Long, leader of Black Lives Matter Pittsburgh, who attended the protest.
Carrie Lekse, a spokesperson for the West Jefferson Hills School District, confirmed to the New Pittsburgh Courier that the school board has no legal authority to remove any board member. “Each board member has been elected by and serves at the pleasure of the residents. Every member of the West Jefferson Hills School District Board of Directors has supported ongoing efforts during the last four-plus years to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion for all of its students; in particular, minority students in the district. These efforts have included training of staff to combat racism and student programs to promote mutual respect among all students. The board anticipates continuing this work with all of its current members and supports the efforts of individual board members to reach out to the community to improve dialogue and further the mission of these programs.”
The Courier has learned that Bertini was re-elected to the West Jefferson Hills School Board in November 2019. Bertini is in the first year of her four-year term, which runs until 2024, and she has showed no signs of resigning.
Long praised the Black students who are demanding Bertini’s resignation. “People don’t understand how much bravery it takes to stand up, not only against your school district, the people that are shaping your education, but against your fellow students,” she told the Courier exclusively. “These kids are going to go back to school and everybody’s going to know that they were out here fighting for themselves, and not everybody’s going to react to that positively, and they know that, and they still came out anyway. It’s a testament to what they’re willing to give to fight for what they know needs to happen.”
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