Talk to the Hand – When Schools Dismiss Family Partnership
At last Tuesday’s Board of Education Meeting, the African American Parent Advisory Council was asked to share an update of our work. I felt lucky to be able to present alongside some of the AMAZING parent leaders in our district! (In case you missed it, I’ll share more about THAT in a future post! In the meantime, you can see it a video of the entire meeting here.)
While I was there, I took the opportunity to speak up during Public Comment about my experiences as a SFUSD parent and parent advocate. While I am humbled by the amazing work I and other parents have achieved this year, and by all the amazing support structures that have recently been put in place to help parents like me, I am also very aware of the work we still need to do in our schools around truly partnering with families.
I am a big believer in Truth Telling. Though it may be difficult at times, it is important to speak up, even when what you have to say causes folks discomfort. Change is uncomfortable. And, if you are about racial and social justice, that necessarily means you are about challenging what’s comfortable, or in other words, the status quo.
With this in mind, I’m sharing my statement with you, dear readers. (With a few additions/revisions). I do this in the hopes that in hearing MY truth, you may connect with some truths of your own. And together we can work together to make all our schools warm, welcoming, inclusive places for all families and children.
Talk to the Hand
When my family first arrived at our new middle school we were excited. We had come from a small elementary with a deeply caring staff and a principal that always welcomed parent partnership. We looked forward to having similar experiences at their middle school.
Unfortunately, our recent experiences have not lived up to our expectations.
Even though my daughters LOVE their teachers and peers, I often hear them say Talk to the Hand - When Schools Dismiss Family Partnership - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom: