Class
Size Matters and NYC Kids PAC stand in solidarity with protesters in New York City and around
the country to demand justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery,
Sean Reed, Tony McDade, Eric Garner and all other Black victims who have
tragically died at the hands of the police.
We know the role our public schools play in the
oppression of Black and brown students. It is well-established that Black
and brown students in NYC public schools and the state as a whole are subjected
to disparate conditions. Black and brown students receive disproportionate
numbers of suspensions and are disproportionately placed in special education
programs without justification. Many are assigned to classes with too many
students in overcrowded school buildings in poor condition. Many
attend schools with fewer resources. Their education is compromised by
curricula that do not center their histories and stories. In this racist
school system, our Black and brown students must fight for their rights every
day from the first day they step inside a classroom.
These protests are in response to a long history
of policies and practices that have marginalized Black Americans. The
public school system is a significant piece of a larger system - including
housing, criminal (in)justice, food, and health care - that continues to
oppress Black, Indigenous and People of Color. We are working to ensure
that policy makers understand and are willing to change this unjust and
inequitable system at all levels of government, and that we dis-invest in
policing and re-invest in our schools. We are open to your suggestions for
improvement.
Class Size Matters and NYC Kids PAC commit to
continuing the fight for a more just and equitable public school system.
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