Black Village advisory group urges easier bias reporting and sustained funding for liaisons

Francesca (Black Village organizer) told the Hillsboro School District board that the Black Village Family Advisory Committee began more than five years ago and “started with the support and help of superintendent” staff, and has grown from meetings of five to 10 people to some gatherings with more than 60 attendees.

The group presented accomplishments, student and parent quotes, and specific requests for district action. Francesca and other presenters described students’ reports that the racial slur known as the n‑word is still being used in schools and said students often feel adults fail to interrupt or follow up. One student quote read during the presentation said, “When people call you the n word … in my school, nothing. They say ‘sorry that happened to you’ and brush it off. I would like them, the person who said it, to get suspended.” The district’s administrative team said it is disturbed by those reports and described work underway to address the word’s use.

The district outlined a multi‑phase task force focused first on engagement and partnership, then community education, then accountability and review. Andrea (executive director, part of task force) described the team’s first meeting and said the second meeting is scheduled for Thursday; she said phase 3 will examine accountability and phase 4 will review and refine the plan. The district also reported it has disaggregated referral data about disciplinary actions and is preparing a districtwide plan for March that could include a policy limiting the n‑word alongside education and accountability measures. As Andrea said, “we are gonna focus on one single word … and we hope that the ripple effect is raising consciousness about the power of words in general.”

Black Village members also reviewed a multi‑year list of prior requests and marked which items have seen progress: two district liaison positions were added (one grant‑funded), some increases in culturally relevant student supports and attendance at meetings, and partnership work with local nonprofits including Shift at Theory, POIC and REAP. They asked the board to make sustained funding commitments so the positions and programs are not lost when grants expire. A presenter said at least one liaison position is grant funded and therefore not guaranteed long term.

Board members and district staff discussed the district’s existing bias‑incident reporting routes: a long form that must be emailed to a principal, a district safety/reporting link on the website, and options to contact building administrators or executive directors. Board members and Black Village speakers described the system as cumbersome for students who have just experienced traumatic incidents. As 1 board member put it, requiring a student or family to “fill out this huge form” after a traumatic event is inappropriate; staff agreed schools should be able to interrupt and report on behalf of students so students do not have to relive incidents.

District staff said there are two ways currently available on the district website and that they will review how accessible those routes are; they also said other districts use a Google form or tip line. Staff and board members noted that adding a new reporting channel would require backend monitoring and staffing capacity to follow up on reports. Francesca and presenters requested clearer feedback loops so the Black Village can know which suggested actions have been implemented and whether they are effective.

The Black Village invited board members to upcoming events, including a Black History Month celebration scheduled for February 20 (location: South Meadows), a regular meeting on March 5 at Century High School, and a screening of the film Black Girl in Suburbia on March 16 (Century High School; location TBD). Organizers said tickets are free.

Discussion time ended with board members thanking presenters and administrators for the work and asking for a March update on the task force, bias‑reporting accessibility, and a summary of which of the committee’s past recommendations remain in progress or require new resources.