Article archive / June 1, 2012
Originally published: . Volume 3, No. 10. Source pages: 1, 4.
LSPA and LPA Respond
A Jefferson Parish school psychologist, Mr. Mark Traina, drew strong criticism from a number of sources for his comments on Twitter and NOLA.com.
In a May 22, 2012, WDSU News broadcast, reporters showed Traina’s post on Twitter. The post was, “Two additional suspects arrested in murder of 11-year-old Harvey boy: Angry young Black Males with no respect for life! Destroying the U.S.”
Another post on Twitter was shown, “Young Black Thugs who won’t follow the law need to be put down not incarcerated. Put down, like the dogs they are.”
On the broadcast a spokes- person from the Southern Poverty Law Center said they had found a number of comments on the Twitter account which were “racially hostile.” The civil rights group has been concerned about Jefferson Parish school system’s treatment of black and special ed students, according to another article by reporter Mark Waller of the Times- Picayune.
Traina told the WDSU reporters that he was frustrated with crime, that he is weary about sense- less violence, and that he is not a racist. According to an updated report on WDSU Mr. Waller has resigned.
Responding to a question from the Times, Dr. Kevin Jones, Past-President of the Louisiana School Psychological Association (LSPA) noted that the national organization issued a comment that reflects the sentiments of LSPA.
Director of Communi- cations for the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), Kathy Cowan, said in the press release that Mr. Traina’s statements “… in no way reflect the views, values, or ethics of the school psychology profession or the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). “
Cowan continued, “They contradict NASP’s Principles for Professional Ethics (2010), which hold school psychologists accountable for safe- guarding the well-being of all children and youth, affirming diversity and individual differences, and engaging in critical self- reflection to identify personal biases.”
The May 22 memo noted that Mr. Traina is not an NASP member or a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. But, Cowan wrote, “NASP maintains that his remarks are an unfortunate distraction from the important roles of school psychologists and the critical issues involved in meeting the educational and social-emotional needs of America’s children and youth.”
Representatives of the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA) also released statements.
Dr. Phillip Griffin, LPA President and Dr. Alicia Pellegrin, Secretary, sent a letter to the Editor to the Times-Picayune, published on May 30.
They said, “We are writing as representatives of the Louisiana Psychological Association on behalf of all psychologists in this state to condemn the recent racist tweets made by Mark Traina, …” They wrote that Mr. Trainer is not a licensed psych- ologist, and “Unfortu- nately, Mr. Traina is not licensed by any regulatory body in this state, therefore, only the Jefferson Parish School board had authority over him.”
Griffin and Pellegrin wrote, “Racism is evident when one condemns an entire group for the actions of some group members, which Mr. Traina repeatedly did. The use of the type of hateful and divisive language contained in Mr. Traina’s tweets only adds to the difficulty of having reasoned and critical discussions to find appropriate solutions to the problems of crime in our city and in the country.”
“We all condemn those thugs who control parts of our community,” they wrote, “killing and maiming innocent citizens and creating terror in too many of our neighbor- hoods. We do not need to invoke racist jingoism to decry the problem or describe the results.”
LPA also put out a press release on the matter, along with the Letter to the Editor to the Times- Picayune.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.