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Parents and residents press board for robust diversity, equity and restorative practices and demand accountability on racial incidents
Summary
During public comment at the Feb. 11 Saline Area Schools meeting, residents urged the board to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion in the superintendent search, request mandatory restorative practices and transparent procedures for racial incidents, and criticized the district's response to a recent student racial targeting incident.
Several members of the public used the meeting’s public comment periods to urge the board to make equity and restorative practices central to the superintendent search and district policy.
An unnamed resident who identified community priorities for the superintendent search urged trustees to look beyond optics and to demand sustained action: ‘‘Restorative practices cannot be an afterthought. They must be a first step…We need measurable concrete goals for improvement, not empty rhetoric,’’ the speaker said, adding that students must be represented in curriculum and school life.
Later in the final public comment period, Sabrina Patillo spoke about a racial targeting incident involving her son in September that she said remains unresolved in the community. Patillo criticized the district’s response and described repeated attempts to get information and action: "Your silence is loud and clear…No accountability, no transparency, no communication," she said. Patillo said she has met with principals, members of DEI staff and board members but characterized those conversations as sympathetic rather than corrective and said she will continue to press for change on behalf of affected students.
Board members acknowledged the comments. Several trustees said they would carry the public’s concerns into the superintendent search process, and some referenced plans for mandatory staff training and clearer procedures going forward; no formal policy or staff directive was adopted during the meeting.
