The Pittsford School District has scheduled a meeting Thursday evening on inclusivity and racism.
It follows recent allegations that students have used racial slurs and the discovery that a display during Black History Month erroneously included photos of white people in place of black historic figures. The meeting at Calkins Road Middle School is being facilitated by the group Partners in Restorative Initiatives.
Superintendent Michael Pero says the district is committed to eliminating all forms of racism.
Here is the letter sent to parents from Pero on Monday:
Dear Parents/Guardians:
I want you to know that I am personally committed, along with the entire PCSD administration, faculty and Board of Education, to eliminating all forms of racism and hatred toward any individual or group. I am so proud of the students who had the courage to stand up and share their personal stories at the recent Board of Education meeting. The Board of Education and I are committed to hearing your voices and student voices and creating the kind of change that will be impactful, meaningful and lasting.
In September of this year, the Board of Education and I created an Inclusivity Advisory Committee; a committee comprised of experts in all areas related to full inclusion. To learn more about the members of this committee, here’s a link to their video profiles: https://www.pittsfordschools.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=22444.
With racism as a primary focus of the Inclusivity Advisory Committee’s current work, PCSD is taking the following actions:
Inclusivity Event on Racism on Thursday, May 2: Pittsford Central School District and the Town of Pittsford will host an inclusivity event on racism facilitated by Partners in Restorative Initiatives (PIRI). The event is from 6:30-8:30 pm at Calkins Road Middle School, in the Commons.
While this is an inclusivity event on racism, we are planning other events over the next school year to address full inclusivity. More details will follow as they become available.
NYSED Audit: I have invited the NYS Education Department’s Center for School Safety to conduct an audit of PCSD’s Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) process, culture and climate in our schools, and District policies. Results of the audit will be shared with the community once it is completed.
Zero tolerance for racism and the use of the “n word”: PCSD is committed to eliminating all forms of racism and hatred toward any individual or group. There is a lot of misinformation circulating in the community about our handling of these issues. While the District is legally prohibited from discussing consequences for specific incidents, please be assured that all reports are taken seriously, dealt with swiftly, and appropriate consequences are applied. There are no exceptions. For information about checking facts on this past week’s events, please visit our Fact Checker at www.pittsfordschools.org/factchecker.
Rewriting of Student Code of Conduct: During this school year, the Student Code of Conduct has been under review and is being rewritten to be more explicit in the areas of race. I am meeting with students on the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee in early May for their review and input on proposed changes. After their input has been received and proposed changes to the Codes of Conduct have been completed, the revised Code of Conduct will go to the Board of Education for review and approval.
Summer 2019 Professional Development: There will be several professional development workshops again this summer for teachers and staff on the topics of racism, hidden biases, inclusivity, diversity and school safety, and restorative practices. Among the workshops planned to date, some of the topics include “Advancing Racial Justice,” “Let’s Talk About Hate,” “Racism and Poverty,” “Hidden Biases,” and “Safe and Inclusive Schools.”
I encourage you and your family to join us for the inclusivity event on racism happening on Thursday, May 2 at Calkins Road Middle School at 6:30pm.
To learn more about the inclusivity efforts we’ve been working on over the past few years, please visit our website at www.pittsfordschools.org/inclusivity.
I hope to see you Thursday night.
Sincerely,
Michael Pero
Superintendent of Schools