The Monroe County school board heard the first reading of a racial equity policy Tuesday, to be added to the district’s bullying policy.
A student equity ambassador group, created this fall, helped draft the policy along with school administrators. The district also received support from The Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center. Dr. Seena Skelton is the director of the center.
“This work is student led work," Skelton said. "And because it is student led work, it is students that are going to hold the district accountable for bringing the ideas that are articulated in the policy to fruition.”
Read More: Students ask MCCSC to address racial discrimination, bullying
Last year, students had shared their experiences with racism while at school.
During public comment, multiple people said the policy didn’t include measures of accountability or benchmarks to demonstrate the policy was being used.
Superintendent Jeff Hauswald said creation of a racial equity policy is just the first step and they still need to vote to pass it. Developing action items and guidelines for the policy will come after.
Racial Equity First Reading... by Indiana Public Media News
“In the conversations with our students, we will develop next guidelines and those guidelines will have some of the very specific things people have asked for,” he said.
If the policy is approved, then guidelines for implementation and enforcement will be drafted.
