Board of Trustees votes 6-1 to enlist Dr. Denise Isom for academic inclusion training
PASO ROBLES — To address inclusion and resolve racism within the Paso Robles School District (PRJUSD), the Board of Trustees approved a consultant agreement with Cal Poly educator Dr. Denise Isom to conduct academic inclusion and excellence training. The approval came with a 6-1 vote during the Tuesday, Oct. 8 school board meeting.
Trustee Dorian Baker pulled the consultant agreement from the consent agenda for discussion and a separate vote.
PRJUSD Superintendent Jennifer Loftus opened the item with a statement saying that politics need to be kept out of the discussion, “Our PK-12 public school system is not intended to be the arena for political grandstanding.”
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Erin Haley shared the contract presentation, saying that the district’s African American students are in the red for suspensions according to the California School Dashboard used by the California Department of Education. Haley explained that any subgroup within the local education agency in the red is required to have an action demonstrating their efforts to rectify it.
According to staff, the goal of the contract with Dr. Isom is to “support staff through collaborative work to enhance on-campus efforts which will promote students’ sense of belonging and inclusion while also closing achievement gaps related to academics, behavior, and social-emotional wellness.”
“We did have staff and students share throughout our gathering of input that at times when we hear slurs on campus, sometimes our staff does not feel equipped to correct that,” said Haley.
During public comment, Paso Robles parents took to the podium to share their children’s experience of racism on campus, along with some of their own experiences in the community.
Class of 1989 Paso Robles High School graduate Juanetta Perkins was born and raised in Paso Robles.
Juanetta Perkins, shared with trustees, “My daughter, who I was excited to have in the school district, in the second grade, was reminded of the color of her skin because she was called a ‘n-[word]’ by a little ‘white’ girl. That was my worst nightmare. I felt like a failure because this is generational racism.”
She said that her daughter now hates the high school, and she often gets calls from people in the community when something happens.
“Mrs. Loftus has heard us, and I think these baby steps with this [consultant contract] and Dr. Isom, it’s much needed,” said Perkins. “We need you to see us. I need you to see those kids at that school. They are being abused, mentally abused. It’s all over the campus.”
Father of PRJUSD students Kellen Haney and Morro Bay native, said he brought his children to the district for the dual immersion program so that they could communicate with their grandparents.
“I am not one that feels qualified to speak on the black experience,” said Haney. “That being said, I don’t think that weshould be as focused per se. I wouldn’t say a narrow topic, but I think we have an issue with how we treat each other across the board regardless of race.”
Haney added that he feels the community and not the district should pay for the consultant because “There hasn’t been a history of benefit shown from these like these, consultants.”
More parents and community members took to the podium to share their experiences of racism in the community and district.
Baker explained why she was hesitant to approve the contract and that the program’s approach of focusing on a variety of identity groups may not be the best way to achieve solving the problem and that she worries it will further divide students.
“We know that feelings of exclusion, bullying, and marginalization affect many of our students, especially our black students, as we are hearing tonight. These feelings are not exclusive, however, to any one identity group,” said Baker.”In fact, it is likely a large number of our students at different times have felt left out, unseen, or misunderstood regardless of their cultural or identity-based affiliations.”
Trustee Sondra Williams (S. Williams) addressed her fellow board members, saying that every one of her children, who all have gone through or is still in PRJUSD schools has been called the “N-word” since kindergarten.
“I don’t know if you have ever been bullied for the color of your skin, but that’s a different kind of bullying … this right here might feel like a baby step. This right here feels like a mountain step,” said S. Williams.
Trustee Laurene McCoy said she echoed everything that had been said that night but that she still feels like they are being minimized as a culture. She also shared stories of herself and her children experiencing racism within Paso Robles. McCoy said she believes these derogatory terms and racist remarks start at home and in elementary school.
“We are not allowing the room and spaces for people of color to have positions to actually educate our students and educate our parents, so we have to start somewhere. Change your thinking,” said McCoy.
While Trustee Kenney Enney agreed that this derogatory behavior needs to be addressed, he did not believe that the training with the consultant was the answer.
“I am truly sorry to hear these stories,” said Enney, who added that he was very concerned that teachers did not know how to handle the racism coming from students.
“I grew up in South Georgia right at the beginning of integration, and people knew not to say that word in class … I think the biggest problem that we have right now is a lack of discipline in the classroom,” said Enney.
Enney said he would not be supporting the contract because he believes it will not solve the problem. Instead, he proposed a Saturday meeting with parents and the community is needed and agreed with McCoy that the students need to be taught how to respect people, and these traits are learned at home.
He explained, “I would love to have this conversation on a Saturday with Ms. Perkins and the other ladies because I want to hear the rest of these stories because I believe you, I just don’t think that this is the solution.”
McCoy and S. Williams both agreed that a discussion and participation needs to be open to the parents.
The contract with Dr. Isom was approved with a 6-1 vote, with Enney dissenting.
The next Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 6:30 p.m.
