SCHOOL DIVERSITY PLAN FOR CENTERVILLE: MIXED REVIEWS
School board in the 82% white district has approved new policy.
A Centerville City Schools diversity plan has been called an “approach toward inclusion” by some, while others have said it may be a step in the wrong direction.
The plan approved by the district’s board of education for the coming school year aims “to empower our community of learners with knowledge, skills and empathy to effectively engage a diverse world.”
The predominantly white district of about 8,300 students “will encourage the recruitment and retention of diverse representations to have a staff reflective” of the community, according to the policy.
Centerville’s population is 82% white, 7.4% Black, 5.3% Asian, 3% mixed races and 2.3% Hispanic or Latino, according to U.S. Census data. Washington Twp. records show similar ratios, but indicate a higher percentage of whites (88) and a lower percentage of
Blacks (3.7).
The plan was the result of a year of “research and conversations centered around race, culture, and the achievement gap,” records show.
“We will continually work to increase the cultural knowledge and self-awareness of our staff and student body,” according to the plan. “We will work to develop and enhance trusting relationships with our students and their families where all feel safe and encouraged to express their views.
“We will build a welcoming and inclusive environment that celebrates the uniqueness of all our families,” it states.
Before the school board approved the plan last week, it received encouraging comments from Roberta Taylor, who said she is part of a group of parents of African-American and multi-racial students.
“Our prime concern is the success of our children of color,” in the district Taylor told the board. “With your assistance, cooperation and professionalism, together we can inspire hope for a new generation of leaders as we provide a foundation for a successful future.”
Noting “the hostile relations that currently exist in our country and our community,” Taylor urged the board to seek “a mandate to enact policies that evidence commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Taylor also questioned whether district has a plan for “meaningful professional development that will assist staff and teachers in navigating the issues” of “racialized trauma and social emotional matters.”
But Centerville resident Ryan Pauketat told the board the policy appears to focus too much on the “color of our skin.”
The military veteran said he has traveled around the world “and have lived among different cultures.” In several instances, that included Black friends, roommates, supervisors and subordinates, “some of which I was very close with, enough so we considered them family.”
But “before today I have never talked about any of them in the context of their skin color,” Pauketat said. “This I believe is what would happen across our (district) to the staff and the student body if we implement the diversity policies that elevate one race over another.
“Racism is real and is bad,” he said. “Educating our children about historical facts surrounding it is an appropriate undertaking for public schools. It is not appropriate … for public schools to instill their morals in our children. This is what this diversity plan looks to be.”
The plan defines diversity, equity, inclusion and culture while outlining four goals:
■ Develop an awareness of one’s own cultural lens, diverse perspectives and inequities in education and society.
■ Increase community engagement and parental involvement.
■ Recruit and retain staff from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations. ■ Remove barriers that impede the engagement of all students in curricular and extracurricular activities.
The goals will be adapted “to fit the changing needs of our community of learners,” according to the plan.
“This is a journey that is ongoing and will require work,” it states. “We will learn to deal with our discomfort and to be real with each other. We believe in the value of relationships across racial, cultural, socioeconomic, and other lines.”