Antiracist Education in Howard County Public Schools
Howard County Board of Education, Dr. Michael J. Martirano (Superintendent), Dr. Kevin Gilbert (Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), Howard County Executive Calvin Ball III, Mavis Ellis (Howard County Board of Education Chair)
With almost 60,000 students enrolled in Howard County schools, it is absolutely imperative to implement comprehensive policy change to promote anti-racist practices in all aspects of the educational infrastructure under HCPSS supervision. For the Board of Education (BoE) and superintendent to truly ensure “academic success and social-emotional well-being for each student in an inclusive and nurturing environment that closes opportunity gaps,” then it is also the responsibility of the BoE and superintendent to be accountable to its student’s and staff who have experienced such discrimination.
These are our six core demands:
- Incorporate education about BIPOC and other disenfranchised groups, while elevating their voices.
- Enforce inclusion and accessibility in and outside of the classroom.
- Review and replace discriminatory materials and policies.
- Increase access to student resources, both in-person and online.
- Implement equitable hiring practices and require semesterly diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training for all HCPSS employees.
- Reform disciplinary practices for students and employees.
Visit our website for more details about the petition: https://wearehoco.wixsite.com/website/our-demands
Petition by
To:
Howard County Board of Education, Dr. Michael J. Martirano (Superintendent), Dr. Kevin Gilbert (Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), Howard County Executive Calvin Ball III, Mavis Ellis (Howard County Board of Education Chair)
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Howard County Public School System Administrators,
We are writing to you today in support of implementing the antiracist curriculum and practices in all Howard County Public Schools outlined by Antiracist HOCO's petition. These measures are long overdue, however, with your assistance, we can provide a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment for all students regardless of race, gender, sexuality, ability, and/or social class.
As a vibrant academic community, we should be celebrating the culture of the 24.2% of students who identify as Black/African American, the 22.7% who identify as Asian, the 12% who identify as Hispanic/Latino and other racial/ethnic identities which comprise 11.3% of the school system. While 34.5% of HCPSS students identify as white an overwhelming proportion of the curriculum represents Western European thought patterns, constituting an overrepresentation of voices who identify as white and underrepresentation of voices who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Antiracist HOCO would like to reform the academic and student experience by adding more diverse voices to represent the intercultural narrative that every academic environment should include.
As students, teachers, and parents directly affected by the decisions you make as an educational institution, we hope that you will prioritize our needs by implementing and enforcing antiracist practices in and outside of the classroom.
Please review the detailed list of demands so we can continue our journey to enhancing the conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion within our community.