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CB2 schools committee endorses anti‑racism steps for District 2 schools, urges DOE action and budget reallocation from policing
Summary
CB2’s Schools and Education Committee passed a unanimous resolution urging the DOE and elected officials to institute schoolwide anti‑racism initiatives, expand restorative justice and reduce NYPD funding in favor of education investments.
The Schools and Education Committee of Manhattan Community Board 2 unanimously approved a resolution urging District 2 and the New York City Department of Education to adopt broad anti‑racism measures, develop centralized tracking for discipline disparities and protect school budgets from cuts.
The resolution calls on district leaders and the DOE to implement several measures: schoolwide anti‑racism initiatives engaging principals, teachers, students and families; mandatory diversity and restorative‑justice training for school leaders; hiring practices to increase teacher diversity; centralized reporting on suspensions and special‑education classifications disaggregated by race and gender; and steps to close the digital divide by providing devices and broadband to students.
Why it matters: Committee members said the changes are aimed at “disrupting systemic racist and inequitable practices,” and they framed school safety and education funding as core to racial justice. The committee included a policy ask to elected officials: consider reallocation of NYPD budget resources toward education rather than leaving police funding untouched while schools and youth programs face cuts.
The committee directed board staff to forward the resolution to District 2 leadership and the DOE, and to track responses and implementation progress. Janine Kiley, committee chair, described restorative justice as a set of practices that focus on repairing harm and addressing root causes of behavior rather than excluding students through punitive discipline. The committee also requested that the DOE centralize funding for technology (devices and broadband) rather than asking individual schools to pay for remote‑learning equipment out of tight budgets.
Ending: the committee’s resolution frames school reopening and budgeting as equity priorities. It asks both DOE and elected officials for specific programmatic steps and regular public reporting on progress.
