On Wednesday, July 1, the P-H-M Board of School Trustees held a special Board Meeting to pass the Resolution listed below and to announce the creation of the new district position of Officer of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This was in response to an open letter to the P-H-M Board of School Trustees and Administration from current and past Penn High School alumni (click here to read Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker’s June 25 email sent to P-H-M families concerning this matter).

 

RESOLUTION OF THE PENN-HARRIS-MADISON BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES TO BRING ABOUT SYSTEMATIC AND STRUCTURAL CHANGE TO ENSURE DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND EQUALITY.

 

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

 

WHEREAS, the unjust killing of Mr. George Floyd on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, along with the preceding and unjust deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and many others, has generated a much needed national discussion on the necessity of ensuring permanent racial equality and racial justice. The members of the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees are saddened by and stand against these unjust deaths.

 

WHEREAS, as we prepare to celebrate the United States of America's 244th year of independence, the Penn-Harris-Madison School Board of School Trustees is guided by the wisdom of one of this country’s greatest leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

 

WHEREAS, we the members of the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees and Administration, acknowledge that we must urgently end acts motivated by racial animus and bias, remediate racial inequities, and end any form of racism in our schools.

 

WHEREAS, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees recognizes that working with the school community is a vital and necessary component of achieving the goals expressed in this Resolution.
 

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees shall implement all reforms necessary to eradicate racism and racial injustice within the Penn Harris Madison School Corporation. We recognize and will fulfill our duty to foster a safe, healthy, and inclusive learning environment; to ensure that all are treated with dignity and respect; and to do our part to bring about positive change, end discrimination and secure equality for all.