Commentary by Supt. Beth Niedermeyer
As we work to begin a new school year in the middle of a pandemic, we have not forgotten the recent tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans.
Racial injustice has plagued this nation for hundreds of years, and schools must be leaders on this issue. There is no one better than educators to teach about our history so we can understand how we got here. We all must do our part to remove barriers that have enabled inequities and racism.
We know that students cannot learn unless they know their teachers and school leaders care about them. All students must know we care for them, and this includes recognizing the fears that our students of color feel every day. We must do everything in our power to listen, support and make them feel safe and loved.
We’re not perfect, but we are making strides along this journey.
We’ve trained our leaders on implicit bias and racial equity, enhanced recruiting practices, reviewed curriculum to ensure representation of different perspectives, formed school diversity committees and much more. Last school year, our district theme was “All Means All” and it will be our theme again this coming year.
As founding members of the Noblesville Diversity Coalition, we’re proud to work in close partnership with the City of Noblesville, the Noblesville Police Dept., the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce and other community leaders on this important issue.
We encourage you to help grow local diversity, equity and inclusion efforts by engaging with NDC and the regular learning opportunities and events they offer, including their new podcast series, “MultiLens.”
You can read more about Noblesville Schools’ commitment to diversity and find resources for your own learning on our website, noblesvilleschools.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=8283.