Establish the Resolutions by the Youth, for the Youth
Establish the Resolutions by the Youth, for the Youth
The Issue
While this may come as news to some, this has been a four-year reality for many students and alumni. District 214 is not immune to systemic racism. District 214 has not always accounted for our diversity. We know District 214 needs to do better and can do better. What they have to do is listen to the voices they teach.
(Also thank you so much to everyone who’s donated! But the money doesn’t go to the cause, change.org is a for profit company and keeps the money)
To the Administrative Team of District 214,
While the students of District 214 are deeply grateful for the work done by this administration, our current policies are discriminatory to students of color and harmful to our environment/ecosystem. With the death of George Floyd and the following 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, the systemic racism in America’s justice system has been made abundantly clear-District 214 is not an exception. The administration team must reform its current policies by adopting the following resolutions. Through this, we aspire to make a welcoming community that is of the youth, by the youth, and for the youth.
Resolution 1: Implement the Transforming School Discipline Collaborative Model Student Code of Conduct
According to the FOIA request for data from D214 regarding the rates of suspensions between BIPOC and White students in the district, given that White/Caucasian students consist of the majority of the District’s population yet 70% of suspensions in 2018 went to students of color, while only 26% went to White/Caucasian students, District 214 perpetuates a racist disciplinary system that disproportionately punishes BIPOC students. This exacerbates racist hierarchies as students are more likely to drop out of school or not continue secondary education when they face disciplinary actions. Due to this, District 214 must
Implement the Transforming School Discipline Collaborative Model Student Code of Conduct
The TSDC Model Student Code of Conduct is compliant with changes to Illinois law.
The TSDC Model Student Code of Conduct “advances the goal of fairness and equity in the discipline process.”
The TSDC Model Student Code of Conduct focuses on restorative justice for all staff, rather than punishment.
Focusing on restorative justice training for all staff, not just deans, would build a relationship with students and reduce any infractions to begin with.
The TSDC Model Student Code of Conduct provides a checklist for restorative justice practices before implementing exclusionary discipline that reduces the number of in- and out-of-school suspensions.
Checklist for restorative justice practices: Is it eligible for suspension? Would the student’s continuing presence in school cause a threat to school safety or disruption to other students’ learning opportunities? Has school staff exhausted alternatives to suspension and expulsion? Has the student previously violated the school code? Is suspension or expulsion appropriate given the student’s grade? Has school staff considered whether the student has a disability and provided all required procedural protections?
Full code can be found here: https://www.isbe.net/documents/tsdc-model-code-conduct.pdf
Data can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ld1KZ9CZGkDTkyA3uDn_z_iEK_-TzIUN/view?usp=sharing
Resolution 2: Redress Our Dress Code
Our current dress code does not mention religious head coverings, limits cultural head coverings (i.e., Black culture with durags), and implicitly sexualizes and slut-shames female students. There should not be requirements on dress, skirt, or short length for individuals who identify as female. Although the current dress code does not explicitly state only females, it implicitly targets them by mentioning female normative clothing such as skirts and dresses. Therefore, this resolution
Disbands the current dress code and adopts a reformed Portland, Oregon District 2016 Model Policy, which states as follows:
Students must cover their private parts.
Students must wear shoes.
Students may not wear clothes that promote violence or discrimination.
Violent, racist, sexist, or xenophobic graphics on clothes is an indirect way of bullying and intimidation, which eliminates a welcoming environment that the District must ensure of all students.
Students are permitted to wear hats and hoodies as long as teachers can still see their faces and if they are wearing earbuds.
Exception in the case of religious or cultural head coverings
Maintains school safety while permitting expression
Full document can be found here: https://noworegon.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/01/or_now_model_student_dress_code_feb_2016__1_.pdf
Resolution 3: Stomp Out Our Carbon Footprint
As a 2017 study by the Environmental Protection Agency showed, plastics account for 19% of landfill material. With a rise in global temperatures and further plastic contamination in the oceans, District 214 must protect their students’ futures and
Eliminate all plastic waste used in cafeterias by switching to sustainable options, such as paper bags or reusable plates.
Establish funds for a garden that also produces sustainable, healthy fruits and vegetables for its students.
Require the District’s recyclable waste to be recycled, rather than landfilled
Resolution 4: Establish Free Tampon and Pad Baskets in Girls’ Restrooms
Given that students must either pay twenty-five cents to obtain needed sanitary pads or tampons or go to the nurse’s office for a free sanitary pad or tampon, District 214 must follow in the leadership of other high schools by:
Providing baskets in girls’ restrooms with free sanitary pads and tampons.
By forcing students to go to the nurse’s office for needed sanitary products, there is a critical disruption to their education because it increases the amount of time spent outside of the classroom. This places students that have a menstrual cycle at a disadvantage.
Students must be provided confidential and convenient access to these products.
The current products that students can buy are poor quality, with many students describing it as “cardboard” and “cheap”.
Many students cannot afford to purchase better quality pads and tampons, therefore it is necessary to provide fair quality products
Resolution 5: Implement Anti-Racist Education Reforms
Current history courses oversimplify or ignore historical events, especially when it comes to civil rights and social injustices. For example, the class of 2021 only had one document on comfort women in AP World History and failed to discuss instrumental civil rights leaders and events in AP US History such as James Baldwin, the Tulsa Massacre, and Juneteenth, therefore District 214 must
Implement anti-racist education reforms to its literature and history classes. Education reforms include
(Literature Reforms) Removing the requirement to read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and allocating that time to amplify Black voices
While To Kill a Mockingbird does expose America’s racist history, it perpetuates an outdated white savior complex and erases the Black narrative and perspective (https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1022&context=jmurj
Black and Latinx voices include Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and Ibram X. Kendi, Langston Hughes, Excilia Saldaña, Margot Lee Shetterly and Toni Morrison. Examples include
Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Anti-Racist
Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures
Resources to other pieces can be found on racialequitytools.org
Requiring to read, analyze, and discuss pieces that acknowledge white privilege
(History Reforms) Implementing a requirement to thoroughly examine BIPOC social justice leaders and BIPOC contributions to science and math.
Require LGBTQ+ history to the U.S. History curriculum, including contributions by BIPOC leaders such as Martha P. Johnson
Require discussion of Black history other than the African slave trade
Discuss the Tulsa Massacre
Discuss Juneteenth
Discuss Black inventors such as C.R. Patterson
Discussion of other components of Black history not mentioned.
Require discussion of BIPOC contributions to math and science and BIPOC issues in science
Examples of BIPOC contributions to math and science include discussing critical historical figures such as Katherine Johnson
Acknowledgment of BIPOC contributors provides representation to marginalized groups within STEM fields
Examples of discussion of BIPOC issues include discussing the disproportionate death of Black women and infants in childbirth.
Discussions of discrimination in healthcare educate future health care workers on their biases and the effects of racism.
Resolution 6: Affirmative Action for Teachers
Throughout countless studies conducted by various institutions and organizations, diversity in faculty (https://www.nber.org/papers/w25254 not only ensures the success of students of color, it also provides different insights and cultural backgrounds to other faculty as well. Research has proven that having teachers of color/teacher diversity is beneficial in almost every outward aspect. At Prospect High School in 2019, there was one black counselor. In a school of approximately 175 educators, having little to no black teachers is absurd. While the racial makeup of the Mount Prospect and Arlington Heights area is generally highly white populated, we find it necessary for the administration to bring in more teachers of color.
Implement affirmative action for teachers.
Affirmative action can be defined as: the practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously.
While this does not require schools to fire or hire new teachers when unnecessary, when it comes to selecting new District 214 faculty, the board must account for diversity.
Resolution 7: Eliminate Random Bag Checks
While the students are greatly appreciative for the District’s efforts for their safety, the implementation of random bag checks has perpetuated racial profiling and over-policing in schools while failing to actually keep students safe. According to a leading security expert, Bruce Schneier, random bag checks only “create the illusion of security” and “misuse(s) resources.” District 214 must
Eliminate random bag checks in all District 214 schools
Resources: https://www.aclu-nj.org/theissues/opengovernment/randombagchecksontransitne
These changes may be difficult, but they are needed. District 214 has far too long exacerbated inequalities and perpetuated the systemic racism highlighted by the recent protests. Your mission is to help students “develop the behaviors necessary for them to reach their full potential as citizens.” Your policies need to reflect that.
Sincerely,
The students of District 214
June 21, 2020
The Issue
While this may come as news to some, this has been a four-year reality for many students and alumni. District 214 is not immune to systemic racism. District 214 has not always accounted for our diversity. We know District 214 needs to do better and can do better. What they have to do is listen to the voices they teach.
(Also thank you so much to everyone who’s donated! But the money doesn’t go to the cause, change.org is a for profit company and keeps the money)
To the Administrative Team of District 214,
While the students of District 214 are deeply grateful for the work done by this administration, our current policies are discriminatory to students of color and harmful to our environment/ecosystem. With the death of George Floyd and the following 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, the systemic racism in America’s justice system has been made abundantly clear-District 214 is not an exception. The administration team must reform its current policies by adopting the following resolutions. Through this, we aspire to make a welcoming community that is of the youth, by the youth, and for the youth.
Resolution 1: Implement the Transforming School Discipline Collaborative Model Student Code of Conduct
According to the FOIA request for data from D214 regarding the rates of suspensions between BIPOC and White students in the district, given that White/Caucasian students consist of the majority of the District’s population yet 70% of suspensions in 2018 went to students of color, while only 26% went to White/Caucasian students, District 214 perpetuates a racist disciplinary system that disproportionately punishes BIPOC students. This exacerbates racist hierarchies as students are more likely to drop out of school or not continue secondary education when they face disciplinary actions. Due to this, District 214 must
Implement the Transforming School Discipline Collaborative Model Student Code of Conduct
The TSDC Model Student Code of Conduct is compliant with changes to Illinois law.
The TSDC Model Student Code of Conduct “advances the goal of fairness and equity in the discipline process.”
The TSDC Model Student Code of Conduct focuses on restorative justice for all staff, rather than punishment.
Focusing on restorative justice training for all staff, not just deans, would build a relationship with students and reduce any infractions to begin with.
The TSDC Model Student Code of Conduct provides a checklist for restorative justice practices before implementing exclusionary discipline that reduces the number of in- and out-of-school suspensions.
Checklist for restorative justice practices: Is it eligible for suspension? Would the student’s continuing presence in school cause a threat to school safety or disruption to other students’ learning opportunities? Has school staff exhausted alternatives to suspension and expulsion? Has the student previously violated the school code? Is suspension or expulsion appropriate given the student’s grade? Has school staff considered whether the student has a disability and provided all required procedural protections?
Full code can be found here: https://www.isbe.net/documents/tsdc-model-code-conduct.pdf
Data can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ld1KZ9CZGkDTkyA3uDn_z_iEK_-TzIUN/view?usp=sharing
Resolution 2: Redress Our Dress Code
Our current dress code does not mention religious head coverings, limits cultural head coverings (i.e., Black culture with durags), and implicitly sexualizes and slut-shames female students. There should not be requirements on dress, skirt, or short length for individuals who identify as female. Although the current dress code does not explicitly state only females, it implicitly targets them by mentioning female normative clothing such as skirts and dresses. Therefore, this resolution
Disbands the current dress code and adopts a reformed Portland, Oregon District 2016 Model Policy, which states as follows:
Students must cover their private parts.
Students must wear shoes.
Students may not wear clothes that promote violence or discrimination.
Violent, racist, sexist, or xenophobic graphics on clothes is an indirect way of bullying and intimidation, which eliminates a welcoming environment that the District must ensure of all students.
Students are permitted to wear hats and hoodies as long as teachers can still see their faces and if they are wearing earbuds.
Exception in the case of religious or cultural head coverings
Maintains school safety while permitting expression
Full document can be found here: https://noworegon.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/01/or_now_model_student_dress_code_feb_2016__1_.pdf
Resolution 3: Stomp Out Our Carbon Footprint
As a 2017 study by the Environmental Protection Agency showed, plastics account for 19% of landfill material. With a rise in global temperatures and further plastic contamination in the oceans, District 214 must protect their students’ futures and
Eliminate all plastic waste used in cafeterias by switching to sustainable options, such as paper bags or reusable plates.
Establish funds for a garden that also produces sustainable, healthy fruits and vegetables for its students.
Require the District’s recyclable waste to be recycled, rather than landfilled
Resolution 4: Establish Free Tampon and Pad Baskets in Girls’ Restrooms
Given that students must either pay twenty-five cents to obtain needed sanitary pads or tampons or go to the nurse’s office for a free sanitary pad or tampon, District 214 must follow in the leadership of other high schools by:
Providing baskets in girls’ restrooms with free sanitary pads and tampons.
By forcing students to go to the nurse’s office for needed sanitary products, there is a critical disruption to their education because it increases the amount of time spent outside of the classroom. This places students that have a menstrual cycle at a disadvantage.
Students must be provided confidential and convenient access to these products.
The current products that students can buy are poor quality, with many students describing it as “cardboard” and “cheap”.
Many students cannot afford to purchase better quality pads and tampons, therefore it is necessary to provide fair quality products
Resolution 5: Implement Anti-Racist Education Reforms
Current history courses oversimplify or ignore historical events, especially when it comes to civil rights and social injustices. For example, the class of 2021 only had one document on comfort women in AP World History and failed to discuss instrumental civil rights leaders and events in AP US History such as James Baldwin, the Tulsa Massacre, and Juneteenth, therefore District 214 must
Implement anti-racist education reforms to its literature and history classes. Education reforms include
(Literature Reforms) Removing the requirement to read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and allocating that time to amplify Black voices
While To Kill a Mockingbird does expose America’s racist history, it perpetuates an outdated white savior complex and erases the Black narrative and perspective (https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1022&context=jmurj
Black and Latinx voices include Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and Ibram X. Kendi, Langston Hughes, Excilia Saldaña, Margot Lee Shetterly and Toni Morrison. Examples include
Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Anti-Racist
Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures
Resources to other pieces can be found on racialequitytools.org
Requiring to read, analyze, and discuss pieces that acknowledge white privilege
(History Reforms) Implementing a requirement to thoroughly examine BIPOC social justice leaders and BIPOC contributions to science and math.
Require LGBTQ+ history to the U.S. History curriculum, including contributions by BIPOC leaders such as Martha P. Johnson
Require discussion of Black history other than the African slave trade
Discuss the Tulsa Massacre
Discuss Juneteenth
Discuss Black inventors such as C.R. Patterson
Discussion of other components of Black history not mentioned.
Require discussion of BIPOC contributions to math and science and BIPOC issues in science
Examples of BIPOC contributions to math and science include discussing critical historical figures such as Katherine Johnson
Acknowledgment of BIPOC contributors provides representation to marginalized groups within STEM fields
Examples of discussion of BIPOC issues include discussing the disproportionate death of Black women and infants in childbirth.
Discussions of discrimination in healthcare educate future health care workers on their biases and the effects of racism.
Resolution 6: Affirmative Action for Teachers
Throughout countless studies conducted by various institutions and organizations, diversity in faculty (https://www.nber.org/papers/w25254 not only ensures the success of students of color, it also provides different insights and cultural backgrounds to other faculty as well. Research has proven that having teachers of color/teacher diversity is beneficial in almost every outward aspect. At Prospect High School in 2019, there was one black counselor. In a school of approximately 175 educators, having little to no black teachers is absurd. While the racial makeup of the Mount Prospect and Arlington Heights area is generally highly white populated, we find it necessary for the administration to bring in more teachers of color.
Implement affirmative action for teachers.
Affirmative action can be defined as: the practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously.
While this does not require schools to fire or hire new teachers when unnecessary, when it comes to selecting new District 214 faculty, the board must account for diversity.
Resolution 7: Eliminate Random Bag Checks
While the students are greatly appreciative for the District’s efforts for their safety, the implementation of random bag checks has perpetuated racial profiling and over-policing in schools while failing to actually keep students safe. According to a leading security expert, Bruce Schneier, random bag checks only “create the illusion of security” and “misuse(s) resources.” District 214 must
Eliminate random bag checks in all District 214 schools
Resources: https://www.aclu-nj.org/theissues/opengovernment/randombagchecksontransitne
These changes may be difficult, but they are needed. District 214 has far too long exacerbated inequalities and perpetuated the systemic racism highlighted by the recent protests. Your mission is to help students “develop the behaviors necessary for them to reach their full potential as citizens.” Your policies need to reflect that.
Sincerely,
The students of District 214
June 21, 2020
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Petition created on June 21, 2020