Can elementary school children handle a subject like anti-racism?
They probably can teach it, staffers from the Alfred Vail School told the Morris School District board on Monday.
Describing a Day of Difference conducted virtually last week, teachers said they were moved, sometimes to tears, by how K-5 pupils responded to daylong discussions about race.
“They were talking to us like, ‘Don’t you know, all you have to do is be nice. It’s what’s on the inside” that counts, related first grade teacher Nichole Hodge. She called it the “most emotional, uplifting day” of her 21-year career, saying she cried watching short videos produced by the kids, who range in age from 5 to 8.
Race and COVID-19 dominated Monday’s two-and-a-half-hour meeting.
District Superintendent Mackey Pendergrast said he is waiting, like his counterparts across New Jersey, for guidelines this week from Gov. Phil Murphy and state health officials about how and when to reopen classrooms that were closed by executive order in March.
“It’s not the board’s decision, or mine,” Pendergrast reminded parents who complained that the absence of in-person learning is more harmful to their children than the coronavirus. Send your concerns to the governor, he suggested to one parent.
The district has been preparing plans for a mix of virtual and in-person instruction in the fall. This is a big worry for working parents, especially those with elementary school students, said Pendergrast, citing an informal survey with response from about 80 parents.
Parents also voiced concerns about elementary pupils potentially having to wear masks all day. They cited disappointing virtual learning experiences, advocated for special education students, and enumerated risks from staying home or risks of returning to classrooms, Pendergrast said.
CELEBRATING GRADS, COMBATING BIAS
Morristown High School, meanwhile, began a series of graduation events on Monday with the launch of a website dedicated to the Class of 2020.
Designed by senior Kevin Crawford, with videos created by teacher Michael Butler’s broadcasting students, the site will carry a virtual commencement on Wednesday.
And it will remain online “forever” as a keepsake for graduates who lost three months of their 40-month high school careers to the pandemic, Pendergrast said.
Cap-and-gown photo sessions for grads are scheduled at the high school this week, a drive-through diploma pickup and teacher “clap-out” is set for Friday, and in-person ceremonies are planned on July 8 and July 9, with social distancing protocols.
The Day of Difference at the Vail school in Morris Township was among several district responses to the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman.
About a dozen Morristown High School students led a virtual “teach-in” last week, with close to 100 faculty and staff participants, according to the superintendent. Online discussions are ongoing for students at the Frelinghuysen Middle School, he said.
Pendergrast has pledged to ramp up the district’s social equity/inclusion policy to ensure that a commitment to anti-racism is “baked into the cake…and is part of every single class and interaction.”
An administrator has been tasked with this responsibility, Pendergrast said. Hiring more minority teachers is a priority. Course reading lists are being reviewed, he added, with an aim of providing greater diversity of authors and viewpoints.
“There is systemic racism in our schools and in our society and we need to be more vigilant in confronting it,” the superintendent said.
“Every day we’ll keep working on it… until we get it just right,” said board President Nancy Bangiola.
Vail Principal Janet Kellman said Floyd’s killing left her heart-broken. She reached out to black staff members, and their Day of Difference got buy-in from Pendergrast and overwhelming support from parents, said the principal, who rated the day as the highlight of her career.
The event included definitions of racism and protest; a history of racism in America; and discussions of recent events, how discrimination feels, and how to eliminate racism.
As uncomfortable as it is to talk about racism, “these children taught us about being open, honest, and respectful to one another. There is hope, and they are our future,” said Hodge, who is African American.
“Imagine what we can do as a community, going forward, if we just started educating our children, providing safe spaces for us to question and work together to change,” the teacher said.
“It was a really great day,” said board member Susan Pedalino, whose two children took part.
Alan Smith, a board member who is African American, said the challenge is making sure that youthful ideals don’t detour down the road.
“Somewhere along the way we still have obligation to make sure we’re still guiding everyone…and that all kids have an equal opportunity to excel,” Smith said. “Sometimes we just need to lean in a little more for certain kids.”
