The word is out: Teens pledge to close the book on the “R-word”

CEDAR RAPIDS - Many of the students leaving the Prairie High School cafeteria Wednesday, March 2, 2010, wore stickers with the words “I pledged to spread the word to end the word” printed on them.

“The word,” also called the r-word, is “retard.” People may use it to casually call another person stupid, or they may use it to describe a person with mental or physical disabilities.

Either way, the Prairie students who signed the pledge say it's hurtful, and it's time to stop.

“Spread the Word” is a national campaign to stop the usage of the words “retard” or “retarded” in casual conversation.

While the term retard once was used as a medical term for someone with disabilities, the word's colloquial use means it is more likely to hurt or offend students with disabilities, according to Stephanie Klein, a special education teacher at Prairie High School.

“It's like a lot of words in our language. As pop culture gives them a different definition, we have to be a lot more careful about how we use our words,” she said.

Students in Prairie's Best Buddies program are leading the local charge to get their classmates to sign the pledge. The Best Buddies program pairs up students from the special education program with partners from the general student body so they aren't as isolated from the rest of the school.

Sophomore Josie Wagner, 15, joined Best Buddies earlier this year and said that the students have been very receptive to the message so far.

“The majority of people have been willing to say they won't say that word. They think we should be more respectful,” she said.

In addition to seeking pledges during lunch periods, the Best Buddies held an assembly for seniors at Prairie High School to get them on board. Future plans include another assembly for the entire school as well as spreading the message to the other schools in the College Community district.

Some of College Community's elementary school principals were concerned that trying to limit the word's use with younger students could possibly create the opposite effect by increasing its status as a forbidden commodity. Klein is addressing this by having the presentation for younger grades focus more on embracing differences between students and less on the word “retard” itself.

“‘Spread the Word to End the Word' is just one small step,” she said. “The bigger picture is watching your language and being aware of the words you use and that they can hurt people whether you mean to or not.”