NA for Change presented our Addendum at the 6/24 School Board meeting, supported by over 1,700 signatures on our petition, Letter to North Allegheny on Anti-Racism. This Addendum addressed the current inequities faced by students of color and policy proposals to fix these problems, supported by statistics, research, and resources.
On July 2nd, we held a meeting with NA central administration and a principal from each educational level representing elementary, middle, and high school levels. At this meeting, we discussed the timeline of our Addendum and outlined first, second, and third-year policy goals. We emphasized that the proposed changes are not only feasible but absolutely necessary for the school district to move forward.
And on August 5th, we met with members of the NA administration, as well as a handful of School Board members, to follow up on the action plan formulated by the district after we presented our goals. The administration walked us through their policy goals, a timeline, and the steps required to make the plan a reality. We questioned them thoroughly about the specifics of certain components of the plan and what they would look like when put into action, such as teacher training, discrimination policies, and curriculum evaluation. We left the meeting satisfied with our impact and grateful that our voices were being heard. We were encouraged that the community that had rallied behind us would be able to see real change as soon as the upcoming school year.
Advocating for a cause is only one aspect of making an impact. Tangible improvements come after the rallies are over, and when people from different sides of an issue can sit down and agree on what is right. By meeting with us and valuing our perspective and proposals, the NA administration showed how much progress can be made in such a short period of time, that when enough people fight for a cause, an entire school district can progress on its journey to becoming more inclusive and further its commitment to anti-racism.
We would like to thank everyone who has signed our Letter to North Allegheny on Anti-Racism, supported our efforts, and collaborated with us to allow us to get to this point. Though our work is far from done, the NA community has done immeasurable good in lifting our cause to such a place where this meeting was possible.
NA For Change 