Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Equity D3a Nword topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District advisory urges board to fund equity office and adopt policy to address casual use of the n‑word
Summary
The District African‑American Advisory (D3A) reported on its decade of work, urged restoration of funding for the Office of Equity, Access and Achievement, and urged the board to adopt policy, administrative regulations and a student compact to address the weaponization and casual use of the n‑word in district schools.
Lydia Edom, outgoing chair of the District African‑American Advisory (D3A), told the New Haven Unified School District Board that D3A’s decade‑long work has produced measurable supports for Black students and staff and that the group is asking the board for sustained funding and formal policy changes to address racist language in schools.
“We set out this past school year to start that work,” Edom said, summarizing nine meetings attended by about 20 participants representing nine to ten schools and partnerships with district leaders. She said D3A’s Dream Scholarship awarded $111,000 to 13 students this year and has awarded more than $78,000 since inception; the group expects to hit $100,000 in scholarship awards soon.
Edom described the group’s “n‑word initiative,” a year of parent forums and a student forum that concluded there should be a district stance that the n‑word “has no place in our district.” She asked the board to support revisions to board policy and administrative regulations, adoption of a student compact, and creation of incident‑tracking measures led by the Office of Equity, Access and Achievement.
Lily Turner, a charter member of D3A, credited the group’s partnership with district staff for reductions in disciplinary incidents and chronic absenteeism at some sites and urged the board to fund the equity office at a level that would sustain training and site support.
Board members praised the group’s work and asked about data presented at a recent state workshop; Edom said the workshop survey data can be shared with the board. Superintendent Thompson and staff told the board they plan to bring a policy revision around the discrimination policy to the policy committee in September and a resolution articulating the district’s stance on use of the n‑word.
D3A recommended a restorative, educational approach to addressing casual use of the word, with clarity about consequences for hateful uses. The group requested that the board examine budget choices to restore staff positions cut from the Office of Equity, Access and Achievement so the office can lead implementation at school sites.
The board did not take an immediate vote on those requests; staff said policy committee and a September board meeting will include formal actions and proposed administrative regulations.
