Both the Superintendent of the City School District of New Rochelle and the Principal of New Rochelle High School (NRHS)—which former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice attended—have responded to newly released video footage of Rice punching then-fiancée Janay Palmer unconscious.
In page-long letters from the two officials, Superintendent Brian Osborne and Principal Reggie Richardson condemn Rice’s actions and proffer the stance that physical violence is “never acceptable,” as Richardson wrote.
“This is undeniably painful for us all, as Mr. Rice was and still is a member of the NRHS family,” Richardson’s letter continued.
Their responses come after TMZ uploaded a graphic video of the assault, which NFL officials denied having previously seen (though an Associated Press report claims the opposite). After the video was made public, Rice—whose initial, criticism-invoking punishment was only a two-game suspension—was dropped by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely from the NFL.
Superintendent Osborne and Principal Richardson write that the news has prompted them to reconsider and revamp their programs of domestic abuse awareness education.“Looking forward, during our second annual Human Rights Week at NRHS, the program will focus on women’s issues and domestic violence, giving our students and community the opportunity to openly, honestly, and constructively address how we can best prevent this type of violence,” Richardson wrote.
Richardson also wrote that Rice’s photograph on the high school’s Wall of Fame and his Baltimore Ravens jersey have been removed, and that “the purpose of our Wall of Fame is to honor the individuals included and present them as role models to inspire our students.”
Click to view the full letters from Superintendent Osborne and Principal Richardson.
