Report finds racism in Haverford school system
HAVERFORD » At a recent school board meeting, members of the grassroots organization Havertown Community Action Network presented school officials with a report about racism in the Haverford community and its public schools.
While acknowledging the school’s district’s academic success, the report points out that Haverford, a majority Caucasian community, can be non-welcoming toward families of color, biracial families, and families belonging to religious minorities.
The network cited incidents reported to its Racial Action Group and to the Main Line NAACP by parents, students, and community leaders. The report states nationwide there has been an uptick in hate-based incidents and they document a number in the township and the region.
In an email, Anna Deacon, spokeswoman for school district, said the report had been received and administrators were reviewing it.
There are a number of clubs in the school district that promote diversity including the African-American Cultural Enrichment Club and No Place for Hate at Haverford High School, No Place for Hate at Haverford Middle School, and a diversity club at Chestnutwold Elementary.
The report cites first-person examples including a May 2017 incident in which an 11-year-old African-American child was riding his bike to the middle school when a white male man yelled out to him from a passing car, “Just because you have a new bike doesn’t mean you’re not a poor (Nword).” Other examples include a swastika scrawled on the trash can of a Jewish resident and an immigrant family photographed at the Manoa Elementary playground then posted to social media with a false story accusing the family of being potential child abductors.
The report uses census figures
and township reports including police reports documenting that 29 percent of police stops involve African Americans in a township where only 3.3 percent of the residents are African American. The AfricanAmerican population is 21 percent in Delaware County as a whole.
At the Haverford Board of Commissioners meeting
on Feb. 12, 2017, Commissioner Gerry Hart noted that an African-American family who moved to Havertown two years ago has not found a “welcoming environment” and was considering leaving. Hart asked residents be more welcoming as the community becomes more diverse.
The report states that animus in the community spills over into schools. In January, the network’s Racial Action Group held an event at the township library in which attendees shared experiences with racism in schools. One parent said “a substitute teacher announced to my African-born black child and to the class in general that he would call my child ‘cave man’” as he thought his the name sounded similar to that of a hominoid recently
discovered in South Africa.”
Parents stated there is the perception that the school guidance counselors are more likely to call child welfare services on parents of color without reason and that school assignments and curriculum that are not inclusive or historically accurate. The report cited elementary level students exposed to historically inaccurate representations of Native American tribes. A second complaint mentioned a family tree assignment that didn’t take into consideration children of African descent who had enslaved ancestors and may not be able to trace their family past.
One Muslim student stated he was taunted as a “terrorist,” “Osama bin Laden,” and the N-word
by students from middle school through his senior year in high school.
“I find the current practices by the school district as outlined in the report totally unacceptable,” wrote Diana Robertson, president of the Main Line branch of the NAACP in a letter to Haverford Superintendent Dr. Maureen Reusche that accompanied the report. “In addition to suggestions incorporated in the report, I would like to also offer the thought of developing initiatives that promote cultural competence.”
Robertson called on the school district to value diversity and cultural self-assessment while being conscious of the dynamics inherent when cultures interact.
The report proposed a
number of recommendations for the school district, which is seeing an increasingly diverse student body. They include policy changes such as giving a clear definition of, and repercussions for, racial/ethnic discrimination and harassment and adding clear language in the school district’s mission statement stating the district’s desire to embrace diversity, inclusion, and anti-discrimination.
The report also urges an audit to assess best practices, promote inclusive teaching behaviors and materials, awareness training for staff including cafeteria workers and aides, bystander training, creating a more inclusive culture for students of color and students with various religious and ethnic traditions and a more diverse learning environment
for all students.
The report also recommended the district diversify hiring at all levels including leadership. The report states the district should hire a coordinator of diversity and inclusion to oversee these proposed actions, to coordinate training and act as a point of contact for students and families.
The network has been active in the recent past on a number of initiatives including climate change and in 2017 in encouraging the school district to address needs of gender expansive and transgender students.
To view the full report go to https://www.h-can.org/hcan-news/2018/4/22/h-canracial-justice-action-grouppresents-diversity-and-inclusion-report-to-schoolboard