Even though there are verified disproportionalities in our nation’s schools, the stories surrounding them continue to divide us. It doesn’t have to be that way.
One WillCo exists because:
Racism is real. What’s present in a community is present in its schools. The Dearest WCS Instagram account provided a platform where students voices could be heard. White children and children of color and other minority populations don’t experience our schools in the same way. Policies can’t eliminate racism, but they can absolutely help protect students from it. The One WillCo community will not stand quietly by while hate speech and racial harassment in our schools continues to be considered “normal” or “kids being kids.” We will not remain silent when there is no standardized discipline policy or accurate data for racial harassment. We refuse to passively watch while Black families are forced to quietly adapt or withdraw from our school district because the crisis of pervasive racism and discrimination remains unchecked to this very day. Even though racial inequity in our schools is a long-standing, nationwide problem, we can absolutely create positive change in our own community.
Racism is wrong. This seems obvious, but is it? Many of us have become so accustomed to the racism around us that we accept it as normal or don’t recognize it for what it is. The law doesn’t see it that way. “Schools must take immediate and appropriate action to respond to complaints of discrimination, including harassment or bullying based on race, color, national origin, or religion.” U.S. Department of Justice
Racism is expensive. In 2019 our school district was fined over $900,000 for showing significant disproportionality in discipline based on race and ethnicity. This type of disparity is an issue across our entire nation, not just in the South or Tennessee. Fines and laws are there to mitigate the problem, but rules don’t solve problems, people do. And teachers and policy makers can’t fix the problem alone. Our whole community must work together toward that same end.