Teachers and staff at Richfield High School apparently begin all of their meetings by committing to dismantling “processes that benefit whiteness.”
That’s according to Principal Stacy Theien-Collins, who spoke to the school board at a Monday meeting.
“We’re going to start like we start all of our high school meetings, which is with our Richfield High School vision of equity,” said Theien-Collins.
She said this “vision of equity” was developed last school year and is used “in all programs, all decisions, [and] all policies.”
It states: “At Richfield High School we believe in providing a rigorous and equitable education reflecting the strengths and experiences of our community. We believe students learn best when they feel safe and affirmed in who they are. Therefore, we commit to dismantling policies and processes that benefit whiteness and other systems of privilege.”
Richfield High School in Minnesota begins all of its meetings with a commitment to "dismantling whiteness," according to the school principal. pic.twitter.com/bKdPJhsmQ6
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) October 8, 2021
All staff were also asked to create their own “personal vision of equity,” according to Theien-Collins.
Theien-Collins joined her fellow leaders in the district, including Superintendent Steven Unowsky, in issuing an “open letter” during the Derek Chauvin trial.
“As we read headline after headline about Black men and women being killed by police, about hate crimes towards the Asian community, about racial violence directed at the Latinx community, about increased violence experienced by members of the LGBTQIA+ community, about the continued exploitation of indigenous lands, about the continued discrimination experienced by members of our Muslim community, about the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border and about the countless other acts of aggression toward marginalized people everywhere, we know that we still have a long, long way to go,” says the letter.
The district also came under fire last month for its use of a highly-explicit sex-ed curriculum.