I’m so happy to have voted with my colleagues to approve an Anti-Racism Resolution that articulates the values and objectives the district will sustain and aspire to as it implements policies and practices relating to equity for students, staff, and the EPS community as a whole. “Words make up the resolution, but I can assure you that it will be backed by action,” Chairman Thomas Abruzzese said during the voting meeting.
The Anti-Racism Resolution reads as follows:
Whereas, as schools have the responsibility to equip students with their civil right of obtaining a free and appropriate public education, it is the responsibility of each school to ensure we create a welcoming community for All students; and;
Whereas, it is the responsibility that the Everett Public Schools provide to all district staff, including School Committee members annual professional development on diversity, equity and inclusion; and
Whereas, the Everett Public Schools will commit to recruiting and retaining a diverse and culturally responsive teaching workforce; and
Whereas, the Everett Public Schools will examine their policies for institutional and systemic racialized practices and implement change with sustainable policies that are evidence based; and
Whereas, the Everett Public Schools will incorporate into their curriculum the history of racial oppression and works by black authors and works from diverse perspectives; and
Whereas, the Everett Public Schools district leaders can no longer remain silent to the issues of racism and hate that continue to plague our public and private institutions;
Resolved: that Everett Public Schools and all the school districts in the Commonwealth must guarantee that racist practices are eradicated, and diversity, equity and inclusion is embedded and practiced for our students, families, faculty and staff.
We must ensure our own school culture and that of every district in the Commonwealth is anti-racist, acknowledging that all lives cannot matter until black lives matter.