Who We Are:

Students 4 DEI Georgia is an organization founded by students working to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion in our schools. We are a collection of former and current Fulton County Public Schools students who are striving to ensure that schools in Fulton County are safe and inclusive environments for all of our students. After the Georgia State Board of Education passed a resolution restricting how issues of race can be taught in the classroom, as well as limiting the ability of students and teachers to have discussions about important social and political topics, Students 4 DEI assembled to ensure that students in Fulton County schools will be able to learn in classrooms that value diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Our Demands:

1. Fulton County must create a board of current FCS students, alumni, teachers, and professionals to assess the state of our schools. This board will advise decisions by FCBOE and provide insight into how their policies impact members of the Fulton County community.

2. The Georgia State Board of Education approved a list of courses for the 2021-22 school year that teach about America’s complicated history, including Introduction to African American/Black Studies, U.S. Latinx Studies, Asian American Studies, American Indian Studies, U.S. Women’s Studies, Civil Rights in the United States, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and Ethnic Studies. S4DEI Georgia asks Fulton County to approve all of these for teaching in FCS classrooms, as well as mandating at least one of these courses for all high school students.

3. As students in the Fulton County School system, we have noticed a lack of diversity in text in literature classes. We support creating a POC and LGBTQIA+ literature requirement, where at least one text in literature classes must be written by a Person of Color, and one must be written by a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

4. Fulton County Schools also lacks diversity in the demographics of educators and staff that it chooses to hire. This has a serious impact in public schools: teachers do not have diverse perspectives to share with students, they may lack certain awareness about racism and discrimination, and they cannot provide adequate support to cultural clubs and organizations. We must implement diverse hiring practices.

5. S4DEI Georgia also supports the inclusion of land acknowledgements in Fulton County Schools. A land acknowledgement is a recognition that a building resides on Indigenous land, and the inscription often credits a specific tribe for their sacrifice. These can be physical, like plaques on school buildings, or virtual, like a website tribute.

Join Our Effort:

As promoters of the Students 4 DEI effort, we have been testifying at and submitting public comment to various board meetings in Fulton County. We have also offered students, teachers, and other individuals with connections to Fulton County School Systems the opportunity to speak about DEI or support by attending meetings. Now, we are creating guides regarding DEI statements for other counties to follow and conduct their own DEI objectives.

Please sign this petition to support our efforts towards incorporating DEI curriculum in Fulton County Schools, and follow Students 4 DEI Georgia on social media to stay updated. We greatly appreciate your help.