Dear Alumni of Mascoma Valley Regional School District (MVRSD),

Our nation is engaged in a renewed dialogue about the racism and white supremacy culture that is ingrained in our communities, institutions, and systems. As alumni of MVRSD, we invite you to sign the letter below that calls on our K-12 educators to stand firmly on the side of justice for Black and Brown people in the Mascoma district, community, and world beyond.

If you support this proposal, please sign your name and class year at the bottom of this form. If you have any questions, please reach out to: [email protected]

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Dear Members of the Mascoma Valley Regional School District School Board:

We, alumni of the Mascoma Valley Regional School District (MVRSD), believe in a just and equitable world for all. Yet, we know that Black and Brown people in America continue to face disproportionate rates of violence, hate, and discrimination at the hands of white supremacy. We write to urge the leaders and teachers of MVRSD to join us in a commitment to end white supremacy by working to build an anti-racist culture and curriculum for its students, families, and communities.

Primary education plays a fundamental role in perpetuating systemic racism. These same institutions also have the potential to end it. What students learn in school is central in shaping their worldview and their understanding of justice and equity. However, many schools do not effectively relay the injustices that are historically and routinely inflicted upon Black and Brown people. It is imperative that schools develop an anti-racism curriculum, particularly in predominantly white districts where students may not otherwise receive this education.

We loved our time at MVRSD, and it is because of that love that we call on this District to do more to address the pervasive racism and white supremacy that exists today.

We understand and appreciate that the MVRSD School Board is beginning to discuss ways it can foster and implement anti-racist values throughout the District. As alumni of MVRSD, we call on the District to:

1. Ensure that all teachers and staff members receive regular anti-racism training from qualified experts.

2. Implement anti-racism education reform at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, including incorporating curriculum that captures not just how racism and white supremacy affected our nation’s history but how it has manifested into the complex racist systems that exist today.

3. Feature Black and Indigenous People of Color in all school subjects. Featuring Black achievement should not be limited to Black history month, and featuring Indigenous achievement should not be limited to Indigenous People’s Day.

4. Create a task force of teachers, administrators, and students who regularly assess how MVRSD is progressing towards its goals of implementing anti-racist curricula.

Advancing these priorities is a critical step toward achieving the MVRSD mission to “inspire partnerships in the district, community, and the world beyond.”

We have provided some preliminary resources for designing anti-racist curriculum in schools; however, we ask that you center demands and input from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color throughout the process.

Initial resources:

• Teaching About Racism, Violence, Inequity and the Criminal Justice System - Antidefamation League

• Teaching Black History in Culturally Responsive Ways - Edutopia Blog, Rann Miller

• Decolonizing the Classroom - National Council on Teachers of English Standing Committee on Global Citizenship

• Relevant in an All-White School? - The National Association for Multicultural Education

• Op-Ed: White Teachers Need to Check Their Racism Before Teaching It - USC Rossier School of Education Blog, Akiea Gross

• Teaching Tolerance Lessons - Southern Poverty Law Center subsidiary, Teaching Tolerance
  • Let’s Talk! Discussing Whiteness - Teaching Tolerance, Webinar
  • Let’s Talk! Discussing Race, Racism and Other Difficult Topics with Students - Teaching Tolerance, Webinar
  • Why Teaching Black Lives Matter Matters - Teaching Tolerance, Magazine Feature

• 2020 National Anti-Racism Teach-In Conference - Virtual conference scheduled August 10-12, 2020. Founded and facilitated by Jack Hill.
• Teaching For Black Lives - Rethinking Schools, Dyan Watson, Jesse Hagopian, and Wayne Au

Regards,