Dear Ridgefield Park School District (RPSD) students, alumni, faculty, and community: 

Ridgefield Park is our home and belongs to all of us. It belongs to those who recently moved here from out of state or other countries and it belongs to families who have been here for multiple generations. We have chosen to live in Ridgefield Park because we believe it is the best place to raise our children and live happy, peaceful, and successful lives. Unfortunately, our village is not immune to the disease of racism. 

Racism poses a major threat to our society, our democracy, equality and human rights.The ongoing histories of police brutality and systemic violence against Black communities have ignited recent protests nationwide and around the world to demand justice for the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, George Floyd, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks, Oluwatoyin Salau, and many others. The COVID 19 pandemic and these murders, have forced Americans to recognize racial disparities in every significant aspect of life including education.

In order for our country to be a safe, equitable place for all citizens, we must acknowledge the racial oppression that continues today —this begins in the classroom. It is the stated mission of our school district to educate our children, to teach them to appreciate diversity and to respect every person. More specifically, our school district aims to “offer students educational opportunities that will foster lifelong learning and enable them to function politically, economically, and socially in a democratic society. Students [in our district] will learn to act fairly in relationships with others, solve problems using effective methods, and think critically and independently.” In order to achieve our mission, the Ridgefield Park School District has the  fundamental responsibility to reform schooling to create, implement, and enforce plans for racial equity in our schools.  It is important for us to call upon the Ridgefield Park School District to re-examine what education means today and going forward, not just in response to current civil rights events, but as part of a community-wide commitment to racial justice. 

This petition calls on the Ridgefield Park School District Board of Education and Superintendent to:

1. Mandate anti-racist and racial justice professional development training for K-12 educators, administrators, and support staff by 2020-21 academic year. Hold training(s) on implicit bias, equity, and inclusion for RPSD faculty and staff, specifically focusing on race and racism.

2. Form a diverse and representative committee of educators, parents and students to discuss curriculum changes for every grade that embrace a culturally competent and actively anti-racist curriculum, resources, and books. 

3. Revise social studies, US History, and English units  curricula that teach the experiences of and history of Black and Indigenous populations before colonization and genocide, and freedom struggles that continue to this day, in summer reading list and  throughout the academic year. This ensures  that classroom conversations around race, privilege, allyship and justice take place by SY 2021-22 academic year.

4. Mandate each Principal to come up with a plan to support teachers in the district with professional development directly related to teaching culturally responsive, anti-racist curricula development. Establish faculty-lead equity teams in each school building by 2021-22 school year to ensure ongoing monitoring and evaluation of curriculum and professional development goals. 

5. Hire an educational equity consultant to conduct an audit undertaking a holistic evaluation of RPSD curriculum and administration practices to search for areas of potential improvement in the fields of diversity, equity, and inclusion by end of SY 2021-22. 

6. Conduct an outside audit of current RPSD hiring practices and RPSD Board of Education election practices by end of SY 2020-21. Release statistical breakdown of RPSD and Board of Education applicants and candidates on a yearly basis in Board of Education meetings starting SY 2021-2022. Statistics to include the number of Black, Latino, and Asian applicants that applied and were offered positions. Adopt standardized best practices and make permanent changes that will ensure the hiring and retention of Black, Latino, and Asian staff to ensure fair representation of staff at a ratio which is representative of student demographics. 

7. Restructure Community Involvement by the end of SY 2020-21 academic year . Take on a new commitment to exploring culturally specific ways that increase all families’ involvement, access to information, and contribution to a sustained positive climate and culture. This includes but is not limited to information and updates on curriculum changes, teacher training and changes to hiring practices. Provide monthly updates to the community at the Board of Education meetings.

 

As alumni, students, faculty, and community members, we urge Ridgefield Park Village Public Schools to position itself as a leader. Fixing the problems in our country starts in our immediate community. We must work to raise a generation of students filled with hope, justice, and love. If you agree, please sign this petition. Let's take this first step together and compel the school district to realize its mission and come up with a concrete and long term plan to educate our students and staff on the anti-racist resources needed to combat racism and prevent future injustices. 

Regards,

The Undersigned Students, Parents, Alumni, and Communities of Ridgefield Park/Little Ferry which comprise the Ridgefield Park School District