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Resident praises African Heritage festival, urges district to ‘do better’ on gifted program diversity
Summary
Charlotte Trotter commended the district for taking students to an African Heritage Inc. festival and raised concern that only three Black students were identified in the district's gifted-and-talented program in each of the past three years; a board member responded that identification standards have broadened and praised STEM student work.
Charlotte Trotter, a Fond du Lac resident who identified her address as 7 East Eleventh Street, used the board's public-comment period to praise the district for continuing to take students to African Heritage Inc.'s annual student festival.
Trotter then raised concerns about representation in the district's gifted-and-talented program, saying she reviewed three years of district data and found that Black students numbered three in each of the past three years. “So I'll just keep it short today, but that's where I look at stuff and I say do better,” Trotter said.
Her comment came during the board's second public-comment session. A board member later responded that criteria for entry into gifted-and-talented programs have changed from historic IQ cutoffs to a wider set of indicators, and said the district's curriculum planning is aiming to reach students across a broader range of talents. The board member noted a recent STEM presentation by a student as an example of expanding ways to identify gifts and talents.
Trotter offered to provide the data or documentation she compiled and said her contact information is on the district website. The remarks were part of public comment and did not prompt a formal board action or vote.
