Please send HCPSS Administration and the Board of Education an email or letter asking them to follow best practices in implementing the agreement with the US Department of Education Office of Civil Rights to remediate the hostile environment for Jewish students. Feel free to use the text below and edit as you see fit or just click this link to automatically generate an email. Please don’t forget to sign and let them know that you are a Howard County resident.
To: Bill_Barnes@hcpss.org, Stephen_Cowles@hcpss.org, boe@hcpss.org
Dear Superintendent Barnes and Board of Education Members,
I am writing to you in light of the recent US Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Title VI investigation which concluded that HCPSS has likely become a hostile environment for Jewish students. The many incidents included in the OCR report reflected some of the pain that Jewish students have had to endure at HCPSS for the past 15 months. As a member of the Howard County Jewish Advocacy Group (HoCoJAG), I believe it is imperative that, in implementing the OCR agreement, HCPSS follow the best practices HoCoJAG has recommended including:
- Engage nationally recognized experts in K-12 antisemitism such as CEI, AJC, ADL, or the Brandeis Center to guide implementation of the OCR agreement including all training, policy, and curriculum changes.
- Adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism into Anti-Discrimination Policy 1010
- Amend Policy 9020.D (Student Expression) to ensure that student expression complies with HCPSS policies against Hate, Discrimination, Bullying, and Harassment harmful to any protected class AND that violations will have concrete consequences.
- Require all faculty and staff to have mandatory, universal training regarding their obligations under Title VI to prevent HCPSS from becoming a hostile environment for any protected class AND ensure that violations will have concrete consequences.
These best practices can help HCPSS schools return to being a safe and welcoming environment for Jewish students and all protected classes. Implementing them will help regain the trust of the HoCo Jewish community, and show that HCPSS is serious about protecting Jewish students.
Sincerely,
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