On September 9, the Policy Committee of the Gorham School Committee met to continue work on the draft of a new Anti-Racism Policy for the Gorham School District.
This policy is intended to address racism and inequity within the Gorham Schools. The School Committee began discussions on the development of this new policy following consistent student, teacher and community demands for change as a part of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
In June, students and community members gathered to protest the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, as well as to demand changes that address all forms of racism, both locally and nationally. Then, within the past few months, Gorham High School (GHS) students, alumni and community members came together to form Gorham Anti-Racism Delvelopment (G.A.R.D.)
G.A.R.D. is a community-based group with the mission of “creating an environment actively engaged in anti-racism, cultural and bias education as well as expanding our diversity and inclusion practices to ensure a town where everyone feels safe and celebrated.”
GHS teachers and staff placed a full-page ad in the June 25 issue of the Gorham Times supporting the ideals of the BLM movement, and pledged the following: “to hold themselves, friends, colleagues, and administration accountable in creating a more anti-racist culture; to critically examine their curriculum with an anti-racist lens, and to make revisions where they are needed; and to empower students to speak out when they see or hear injustice in any form.”
During its June 10 meeting, the School Committee voted unanimously to publicly condemn the recent acts of racism across the country. At the time, GHS Civil Rights Team students submitted a draft proclamation to Superintendent Heather Perry. The students requested that Perry deliver the draft to the SC to be used as a core document in the development of new Anti-Racist policies for the district.
September’s meeting continued the work for a draft of this new Anti-Racism Policy. In attendance were Assistant Superintendent Chris Record and Policy Committee members Anne Schools, Bill Benson and Jennifer Whitehead. Also present were the Civil Rights Team advisors from across the District and GHS Principal Brian Jandreau, students and alumni.
There was conversation around the implication of the term “justice” and its inclusion in the introduction to the policy. The Committee eventually decided not to include the term but did, per student input, replace “supports the diversity of the district’s student population” with “celebrates the diversity”.
They also discussed forming a sub-committee within the Policy Committee composed mainly of students so that the committee could receive concentrated and accessible feedback. No decisions were made.
The Policy Committee will continue meeting to discuss next steps on the formation of this Anti-Racism Policy, and will continue receiving feedback from students, staff and administration. The most recent meeting occurred September 24.