Over the past couple of days I have engaged in a couple of conversations and received a couple of emails about making a statement regarding the tragic killing of Daunte Wright on Sunday in Brooklyn Center. This is normal as there are always members of our community looking for me or the school district to make a statement on the heels of tragedies that occur locally, nationally, and internationally. While I understand the importance of clearly expressing one's beliefs and demonstrating conviction on matters impacting our community, I am exhausted by the performative nature of this persistent cycle (person of color killed by law enforcement, mourning and outrage, prayers for peace and demands for justice...) that has become too familiar.
This is not a performance for me; it is traumatic and very real. Having to continually witness racial discrimination and the absence of humanity toward Black people, people of color and indigenous people in this country pushes me outside of my productive zone of disequalibirum. This type of racialized trauma that I experience and that is experienced by people of color and indigenous people on a daily basis must stop.
As a school district we are committed to implementing proactive measures to ensure that 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 years from now we are not still engaging in this vicious cycle. As a school district, we are committed to interrogating our practices to ensure that we are creating the conditions to produce racially conscious, globally-minded contributors to society.
St. Louis Park Public Schools is committed to seeing, inspiring, and empowering each learner to live their brilliance in an environment that centers student voice and experience to create racially equitable learning that energizes and enhances the spirit of our community.
We know students are experiencing the events that are occurring here locally and across the country differently. Some students are greatly impacted and are needing space to express their emotions. In response, our staff has created space for students to process what they are experiencing. We recognize that while we have and will continue to create spaces for students, some may not find these opportunities to be sufficient and desire other pathways to express their beliefs, feelings, and values.
We anticipate that over the next couple of months students across the country will organize in different ways to express their beliefs about things that are occurring. St. Louis Park Public Schools supports students’ rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, so long as doing so is not disruptive and is done in accordance with district policies. We believe students need safe space for reflection and discussion.
This spring, if there are student organized protests/walkouts that occur, we will do our best to work with students to ensure their safety. Student safety is critical and we would like to prevent situations that put students at risk.
Below I am am providing some information that students, families, and staff should be aware of regarding potential walkouts/protests:
- When we become aware of potential walkouts/protests we will engage students to see if there are ways we can work collaboratively to create safe ways for students to express their beliefs and process their emotions.
- When students leave school property during the school day to engage in non- school district sponsored activities, schools are no longer responsible for their supervision and safety. Our goal is to keep students on district property and to keep students safe.
- The District’s Attendance Policy will apply to students leaving school during the school day without parent/guardian permission.
Thank you for your continued support of St. Louis Park Public Schools and please take care of yourselves and each other.
Astein Osei