Former students petition Rochester Public Schools to implement 'anti-racist education reform'

As Rochester Public Schools considers ways to address equity concerns inside its walls, hundreds of students, staff and parents have signed onto a petition calling for ‘anti-racist reform’ in the district’s policies and curriculum.

The petition, written by three members of the Century High School class of 2017, demands the district release a plan to hire more black teachers and staff members, attempting to address the major representation gap between the student body and their teachers. Over 40 percent of RPS students are people of color, more than eight times the percentage of people of color on staff.

Additionally, the petition’s demands include implementing anti-racism training for all district staff, incorporating more BIPOC authors into reading curriculums, and making mandatory the teaching of an “accurate history of Indigenous peoples, segregation, economic inequality, and racial discrimination in America, Minnesota, and Rochester to students at every grade level.”

For the students who have signed the petition, they believe the issues noted in the petition have been long-running inside the district, including disparities in discipline. While black students make up about 14 percent of the district’s total student body, they received over 40 percent of all out-of-school suspensions (OSS) in the 2019 fall semester. 

The solution, according to the petition, starts with educating staff on how best to support students of color and not skating over the racially charged history of America and southeast Minnesota.

“It is not only essential that Black and Brown students feel heard and supported, but also that non-Black students learn how to be anti-racist and allies to their Black peers,” the petition reads. “This includes accurately educating students about this country’s history. We feel that the education we received regarding systemic racism and its large role in both American history and our current society was not nearly sufficient.”

Over 800 people have signed the petition as of publication, with the vast majority of those being former or current RPS high school students. Alumni from as far back at the class of 1975 are represented. Teachers, district staff, parents and other concerned community members also dot the signature list.

Reached Wednesday, Rochester School Board Chair Deborah Seelinger said she is aware of the petition, but is reserving comment on its contents until the petition is formally delivered. 

On Tuesday, the Rochester School Board approved its budget for the 2020-21 school year, including just under $200,000 for a cabinet-level position related to equity. Whether the funding will be used to fund an actual position or used more generally to fund equity-related concerns, however, is still unclear.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.

Cover graphic courtesy Unsplash