The nation is at a turning point. The systems of violence and oppression against marginalized communities are getting the long overdue attention for the terror they have wrought. The pillars of American identity are being examined at their roots. As a consequence of the historic white supremacy that has infiltrated and controlled many systems in our country, we must examine our schools and how they are failing marginalized and minority students. Cabarrus County has a decision to make: whether to accept that it has fallen short in the past for creating learning environments that foster and grow the academic ability of all students or remain complicit in a system that brings harm to its students.

The manifestation of white supremacy in Cabarrus County Schools is not always overt to those who do not suffer from its grip. But nonetheless, it is there. Cabarrus County, according to data from the Public Schools of North Carolina Statistical Profile, has a disproportionately large majority of white students in advanced level classes. This is a systemic problem in all schools across the county. Cabarrus County needs to evaluate, at all levels, how these disparities manifest themselves in our high schools. The selection process for AIG needs to be reexamined and reimagined so that the implicit bias of teachers and staff do not affect minority students from being included in the program (https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/why-are-there-so-few-black-children-in-gifted-and-talented-programs/424707/). This also extends beyond elementary school, counselors need to review how they recommend students for advanced level classes.

Another remedy is to prioritize the employment of Black, Indigenous, and POC as teachers as it increases the representation of minority students in gifted programs and betters test scores (https://hechingerreport.org/bright-black-students-who-are-taught-by-black-teachers-are-more-likely-to-get-into-gifted-and-talented-classrooms/). Cabarrus County has a disproportionate number of White teachers to both Cabarrus County's demographics and the demographics of Cabarrus County students (85% of elementary teachers are white while 87% of secondary teachers are white!). Having more Black, Indigenous, and POC teachers also helps white students by providing perspectives that are underrepresented in education (https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/08/teachers-of-color-white-students/400553/).

To prepare students of the world they are living in, Cabarrus County must actively facilitate an anti-racist curriculum and inclusive learning environment that teaches students to not only appreciate diversity but to also identify prejudice and bias in their own life so that they may do better.

We call on Cabarrus County to do the following:

1. Ensure that the curriculum taught that accurately portrays American history at appropriate age levels. This includes reckoning with chattel slavery in America, the historic and ongoing discrimination faced by Black Americans (mass incarceration, redlining, health care disparities, etc.), the Wilmington Massacre & the Tulsa Massacre, genocide against Native Americans, not teaching myths that center whiteness (like Columbus "discovering" America which erases the Indigenous population that was here long before the Age of Exploration), and more.
2. Conduct an independent review of how students are placed into Advanced programs, this includes evaluating the extent to which AIG recommendation by teachers impact minority enrollment in the program in elementary and middle schools but extends to counselor bias impacting the enrollment of minority students in advanced levels courses in high schools
3. Conduct an independent review of hiring practices that have resulted in disparities and a lack of minority staff members and rectify these practices that have contributed to such disparities.
4. Have staff undergo an encompassing discrimination, sensitivity, and bias training program to prepare them for teaching a diverse classroom.
5. Have students undergo workshops on racism and discrimination and if students are found to have made racist statements, have specific punishments that seek to rectify this behavior and prevent further incidents.
6. Remove metal detectors from our schools. They create a prison-like environment, harm academic performance, and are easy to bypass (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/21/school-shootings-metal-detectors-solution-experts/4255318002/). Additionally, there is no accountability for how they might be used to discriminate against certain students for perceived threats.
7. Remove School Resource Officers from our schools and invest that money in bringing in additional mental health experts and therapists to assist the student body. The way to combat violence at school is not to put more guns into it, it’s to empower staff to have personal relationships with students to know when things are off and to empower students to speak up if they see or think something is wrong. Adding law enforcement into the mix has the potential to traumatize students who are simply trying to learn. Having SROs in school is a reactionary measure to the threat of gun violence across America, it does nothing to proactively prevent these situations. By having skilled mental health professionals who are able to help students cope with the difficulties they face in this day and age, we can prevent these tragedies by giving students support.
8. Provide data on discipline, suspensions, and expulsions by ethnicity and race across the county. [Edit: According to the Concord Independent Tribune, African American students are disproportionately suspended from Cabarrus County Schools. Approximately 43.47% of all suspensions were African American students, who only make up 19.8% of the student body at Cabarrus County schools (at the time this data was for). This MUST be corrected. Students are being taken out of school and falling behind. Suspensions are not the solution when disciplinary action needs to be taken. Get rid of out of school suspensions that remove kids from learning environments and do nothing to address problematic behavior. Ensure that in school suspensions are used to help students address problems, continue learning, and give support. Suspensions are disproportionately used against African-American students. This must stop.]
9. Evaluate existing policies and identify areas of discrimination or where minority groups are targeted. This includes getting rid of dress code policies rooted in anti-Blackness, specifically the banning of head coverings like hair wraps or durags.
10. Ensure that English classes read a diverse selection of authors. Include reading that tackles racial identity from non-white authors.