D3A urges New Haven Unified to ‘invest in black success’ after hate incidents; board expresses support

Lily Turner, a charter member of the District African‑American Advisory (D3A), told the New Haven Unified School District Board of Education on Sept. 9 that the group’s work aims to correct policies and practices that have “stifled success and neglected the needs and contributions of Black students.” Turner and Karan Smith, D3A secretary, reviewed programming, events and policy recommendations developed under the group’s memorandum of understanding with the district.

D3A outlined six core purpose areas and highlighted last year’s activities: a district‑wide Black History Month program, a Black Graduation and Celebration, partnerships with the Office of Equity, Access and Achievement, and benchmarking visits to CASA. Turner said the advisory has awarded $88,000 to graduating seniors since its 2014 inception and $11,500 this year to support scholars. “Invest in Black success,” Turner said, summarizing the group’s central plea for the board.

The advisory identified several policy and practice steps it wants the district to make this school year: track and report trends in “dignity violations” and incidents involving the N‑word; implement consistent accountability measures at every school site; ensure leadership follows through so policy changes translate to campus practice; and build protections for students and staff who report incidents. D3A set an aspirational metric of having 80% of parent‑student compacts signed and returned at each school as part of its accountability framework.

Parents and alumni who spoke during public comment reinforced D3A’s message. Ivan Phillips, a Logan parent, said the district must accompany educational work with disciplinary clarity: “I would like to see more consequences,” he said, and asked that students who speak up be protected from retaliation. Janice Fontino described hate‑related graffiti found at Pioneer Elementary, calling the markings “really hate‑filled items on walls to be seen by children” and urging curriculum and practices that ensure inclusion for all students. Bianca Gentry said anti‑Blackness persists in classrooms and asked the district to make Black students and staff a sustained priority.

Trustees acknowledged the presentation and thanked D3A for its work. Trustee Freeberg called the presentation “tremendous”; Vice President Rafé praised the district’s and advisory’s efforts to address the swastika and N‑word incidents at Pioneer Elementary and said the work was comforting to see. Board members and the superintendent described D3A as an active partner and said they looked forward to continued collaboration.

D3A’s requests for next steps center on data and capacity: ongoing tracking of incidents and restorative and accountability responses tied to school leadership. The advisory also asked the board to allocate staff time and funds to expand programming and supports district‑wide. The board did not take immediate boardwide policy votes on the floor that night but affirmed its partnership with D3A and encouraged staff to continue implementation work.

What’s next: D3A will continue its outreach and programming; the board and district staff said they will maintain the partnership and follow up on requests for data and supports during the fall implementation cycle.