“How am I being complicit in educational inequities? This self-reflective question must always be at the forefront of our minds as educators."

This is a quote by Dr. Howard E. Fields III, in a book he authored called How to Achieve Educational Equity. 

The same Dr. Fields from Kirkwood School District who just last week fired a transgender educator without due process.

The most concerning has been witnessing adults who were previously excluded as students either choose silence or attempt to justify inequities out of fear of being viewed as ungrateful by an oppressive system. . .If you have created a punitive system based on fear where people are afraid of being reprimanded for pushing back, you may be the reason educational inequities exist within your organization.”

What is happening in Kirkwood is not right. These educators deserved respect, they deserved dignity, and they deserved to have support from school and district leaders and administrators when facing discrimination.

“My vantage point allows for observing inequities in education as often as I hear the pledge of allegiance. I believe that having a seat at many tables comes with a level of responsibility to advocate. If I were to be silent on such significant matters, it would be the highest level of betrayal to the students, staff, and communities I have served.

A benefit to working in Human Resources while also working towards educational equity is that you are put in a prime position to impact systems.”

Dr. Fields was in a position to disrupt discrimination and inequity that was harming transgender educators but failed to do so.

These educators are highly educated, passionate, and excellent teachers who have created safe spaces and gone above and beyond for their students. But because they identify as transgender, they were not treated with respect and were forced to endure a hostile work environment, discrimination, and wrongful termination.

The real loss is that Kirkwood students have lost caring educators. They have lost a diverse teaching staff. They have lost a sense of safety, because if Kirkwood can treat transgender educators this way, how will they treat transgender students?

“The only fear I have, besides God, is facing a student, parent, colleague, or community member who depended on my leadership, only to let them know that I could not make a difficult decision or impact necessary change because it would have threatened my selfish interests. If this were to occur, I would have been essentially been modeling what I despise; weak leadership.”

These transgender educators needed an advocate. They needed someone to speak up against discrimination and transphobic practices within the District. They needed to be seen and treated as human beings.

These are some of the questions Dr. Fields recommends asking about schools:

• How am I being complicit in educational inequities?
• What educational inequities currently exist in your school?
• What barriers exist in addressing educational inequities?

Have you have experienced or witness inequities in Kirkwood School District? Reflect and share using the hashtag #AchieveEduEquity so that we can shine a light on these inequities and share a vision for a trans-inclusive environment in order to improve the district for the benefit of our students.

"In education, we tend to hang onto outdated and ineffective practices way too long. It all boils down to our field being slow to change unless it is forced. In the spirit of this, we must force others to see the harm in continuing these archaic practices."

Dr. Fields has shared in his book he thrives in a culture of accountability. On his website he writes, "Dr. Fields plans to continue to advocate for the well-being of students and staff while also empowering others to be their authentic selves."

Kirkwood School District has failed to allow for the authenticity of its transgender educators.

We demand Kirkwood School District repair the harm they have done to transgender educators and empower its community to show up authentically. This includes LGBTQIA+ identities. Thank you for your continued support in bettering the District for all students, staff, and community members.