During Thursday’s Regular Board meeting the CUHSD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution denouncing racism and white supremacy, supporting the equity, wellbeing, and safety of black people, and declaring that #BlackLivesMatter.
"Around the country there's a growing understanding that all institutions need to take a good, hard look at their practices and make real, lasting changes." said Board President Kalen Gallagher. "That work needs to start by acknowledging how institutional racism impacts people of color in CUHSD and being able to say Black Lives Matter."
The resolution calls for action to address racism and injustice in our schools by holding staff and students responsible for denouncing racism and racial slurs, increasing efforts to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all students, and continuing initiatives to recruit and retain Black, Brown, and Indigenous teachers.
“As educators, it is our responsibility to create safe, welcoming environments for all students to thrive in their education,” said Superintendent Robert Bravo. “We need to do more to continue the essential work to acknowledge, identify and eliminate systemic racism in our schools.”
Over the summer, CUHSD will be taking the following steps to address the racial injustice of black students and support their safety and well-being on campus:
- Creating a resources webpage for educators, students, staff and parents
- Working with administrators to examine incidents of racial bias in our schools and how to address these incidents
- Reviewing Board policies for implicit bias and cultural relevance
- Developing professional learning opportunities for educators and staff
- Continue efforts to recruit and retain Black, Brown, and Indigenous teachers in order to provide students with teachers who reflect the backgrounds of our diverse student population.
We know that these steps alone will not be enough to address the systemic racism in our schools and community and we will continue to examine the best ways to create safe spaces for students to feel heard and welcomed on campuses.