--------------------------- Parents/Guardians,
I wanted to take just a few minutes of your time to touch base again. During most summer breaks, I would leave you alone, confidently assuming you are enjoying your break and anticipating a typical return to school. As we all know, however, this summer is far from typical and our world continues to change. Beyond feeling a sense of responsibility, I have a strong desire to address those changes since you will be entrusting your children to us in just a few months.
I am more hopeful than ever that we will be able to bring our students back into our schools in August and, as promised, I will be updating our families on our plans in mid-July. However, my concerns for our students’ health go beyond the pandemic and extend to their emotional wellbeing. So much has happened in our world since we left for Spring Break. So, when your children return to us, we must be prepared to address not only their academic and physical health needs, but also social and emotional needs as well.
As each of you are well aware, we are living in historic times. We very well may be living through one of the greatest (if not the greatest) civil rights movements of all time. As we see marches and protests, we also see progress and growth, and we need to link arms as a Ladue Schools community to bring your children - our students - through this incredibly important time.
Over the past few weeks, I have had many conversations about what is going on in our country with individuals from many walks of life. We often end up discussing where a school district belongs in this conversation. My personal belief is that it is a district’s responsibility to be entrenched and actively involved in moments such as the one we are experiencing. It is these life experiences that help us all to teach and learn, no matter what our age.
I went to the first student-organized march and did my best to lean in and learn from the students, staff members, parents and many others in our community who had come together in support of our African American families. You see, as your Superintendent, I too am continuing on my equity journey and I too need to continue to listen and learn. However, it must go beyond just listening to taking actions to dismantle the systems in place that allow racism to exist. It will require all of us working together to make these changes that are long overdue.
As Superintendent of --------Schools and as a human being, I support all of our students, our staff, and our nation when we all say together: Black Lives Matter. Period. This journey for Ladue started before I became Superintendent, and we will remain steady and true to the course. Our resolve to make the School District a place where all feel welcome and where racism and inequity are not tolerated is not negotiable. If our children are not walking in our doors knowing they are valued, then they cannot learn and ultimately their education is what will guide their future. I stand by these beliefs unequivocally and it is my expectation that every person we employ will stand by this as well.
This past year, our African American families have been extremely generous in sharing their time with me to discuss their experiences and ideas. These meetings, coupled with our larger CURE meetings with African American families, have allowed us to continue to make changes in leadership structures, recruitment and curriculum to ensure our focus, efforts and resources are appropriately placed.
But as immensely grateful as I am for the assistance of our
African American families, it will not be enough until
all of our ------Schools families are aligned. I have personally observed many of our families rising up amongst the distress, unhappiness, unfairness, and unrest and saying: Enough Is Enough.
I believe in our ---------Schools community and I also believe in our desire to be better, do more, and head into this new era with increased compassion for every human being we encounter. We can and will lean in and learn together.
In closing, I am linking information about Juneteenth. As many of you know, this past Friday was Juneteenth. It is a remarkable moment in history and should be honored as one. On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, word finally arrived in Texas that slaves were free, and Juneteenth is the commemoration of that day. Please take a moment to read through this article, share it with others and have a conversation over this important piece of our nation’s history: Teaching Juneteenth
Recent events continue to reflect the emphasis we need to place on supporting our African American students and families. As we move into the next school year, I encourage you to join us in bringing this needed change home to our district by having conversations at home and participating in district events geared towards this change, such as our Fearless Focus series. These evenings provide an opportunity for all community members to have dialogue for change.
We will be publishing our dates for this year’s Fearless Focus events soon and I hope you will put them on your calendar and make it a priority to attend.
I can promise you that if you decide to join us at our Fearless Focus sessions, you will find me and the rest of the leaders in our district standing right beside you.
Your Superintendent,
Dr. --- -------------
Superintendent
Makes you wonder what's going to happen to anyone who is not "in alignment"?
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