Niles’ parents protest anti-black racism at D219 reunion

[ad_1]

Content warning: This story contains discussions of racism.

Amid reports of ongoing anti-Black racism at Niles North and Niles West High Schools, several parents urged school board members from School District 219 in Niles Township to make systemic changes at the meeting of the council on Tuesday.

For several years, black and brown students have continuously reported experiences of racism at school. Members of the black student unions at Niles North and Niles West spoke at a Dec. 6 board meeting about those experiences, which included the use of racial slurs in and out of the classroom and the discrimination by security guards.

Angela Sangha-Gadsden, a member of advocacy group Abolition Coalition of Skokie, said many parent advocates came out at the meeting to demand concrete, policy-driven change.

“What we have heard (BSU members) share is that when they speak out against racism, they are disciplined. When they find safety with each other, safety is called,” she said. “They are constantly attacked by this multi-headed monster of systemic racism.”

A study by Hanover Research, a third-party consultant hired by District 219 to examine racism in its schools, also found that black students in the district are over-disciplined and that students of many marginalized identities face academic achievement gaps. .

Skokie Schools Equity Collaborative organizer Maggie Vandermeer said advocates suggest mandatory hate speech training for staff and students, hiring a second district equity officer, tackling hate speech racial discrimination by lunch staff and security, and creating a plan to hire and retain black staff.

However, collective efforts have repeatedly been “met with resistance, defensiveness and denial” by the school board, Vandermeer said.

Since the founding of the two groups in 2020, the primary focus of the Abolition Coalition and Skokie Schools Equity Collaborative has been to support efforts led by black and brown students, the parents stressed.

Many parents attended Tuesday’s meeting in hopes of easing pressure on members of the Black Student Union, said Jasmine Sebaggala, a parent from District 219 and a member of the Abolition Coalition.

“You already have to go to school and deal with so many problems, but it shouldn’t be that hard to just be a student,” Sebaggala said.

Dealing with racism in the district as a parent, however, is particularly difficult, said Abolition Coalition member Monique Cooley-Hicks. She said it was difficult to balance her advocacy with working and supporting her children over the past few years.

“You have to push them through … despite all these challenges, and then try to make sure they can remember something fun over the four years,” said Cooley-Hicks, the parent of a former duo. District 219. “It was very difficult. I’m very proud of myself and my daughter has taken it to the next level, but it took a lot.

Later in the meeting, a representative from Hanover presented an overview of the findings of his report.

The results of the equity data analysis, based on data collected during the 2020-2021 school year, showed that black, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged students with limited English proficiency and special education are less likely to achieve a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

The results also showed the district disciplined and suspended black students at higher rates than any other racial group.

School board members acknowledged that the findings were “nothing new” and said they intended to act on several policy recommendations offered by Hanover.

These include investigating more opportunity gaps, training teachers on how to accommodate different learning styles, and providing more academic support in younger grades so that everyone the world stays on track to meet grade-level learning goals.

Parents said the board has the power to impose these policies, but has yet to implement policy changes suggested by parent advocates despite calls for action dating back to 2020.

Many parents remain worried about the future of their children in the district. Sangha-Gadsden and Roxann Salgado, another member of the Abolition Coalition, both have children who attend secondary schools at Niles North and Niles West Secondary Schools. They said they want to see the district take concrete steps forward.

“It’s worrying because our children will be coming here soon,” Salgado said. “We also grew up with racism in our school systems. It’s (2023), and we just want to see change. We belong to this community and we want to feel that we belong to this community.

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: @lilylcarey

Related stories:

— In Focus: As community members remain divided on ORS in Niles Township high schools, district fails to act

– Black and brown students lobby council D219 to fight racism

– Skokie Schools Equity Collaborative, Abolition Coalition Hosts Anti-Racism Celebration and SRO Protest at D219

[ad_2]