May 29, 2020

Earlier today, I shared a message with all of you to thank our District staff, students and families for moving forward through what’s been a challenging time and to celebrate the end of another school year.

And yet, in this moment of celebration and congratulations, the discrimination against Chris Cooper, and murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, are tragic reminders of the ongoing trauma and brokenness in our country and in our community that existed well before the pandemic.

That is why I am reaching out again to you this evening. 

It is clear now, more than ever, that educational equity is literally a matter of life and death for our students.

We have talked this past year about the need for educational equity and curriculum and instruction that speaks to all, not just some, of our students.

We have identified the poison of institutional racism, and discussed ways to remedy past wrongs and to move on to a more equitable and inclusive future.

We have tried to amplify the urgency of areas, such as Black student excellence, in which we, as a District and as a community, can and must do better. 

This week’s events compel us to renew our commitment to fulfill the promise of Shaker Heights. We must change what happens in our schools in order to serve as a model for change across the country. 

Empathy is the first step to understanding, to action and to change.

For me, that means when a Black man, woman or child is murdered, I think of how I would feel if it were happening to me, my wife or one of my children.

When injustice happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. That conviction must lead our thinking and guide our hearts.

I take some solace in the fact that we have begun to take steps to address inequity and injustice as a school community. 

We are in the final stages of our search for an Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion because we know that a more inclusive curriculum, school and workplace positively impacts our entire school community.

This year, I formed a Black Teacher Task Force to ensure that we, as District leaders, better understand the Black teacher and student experiences in our schools and how to improve them.  

And finally, our newly adopted strategic plan centers on the District’s educational equity policy. This means we are focused on addressing marginalization and oppression, on allocating resources equitably and on creating opportunities and success for each and every Shaker student. 

As our 2020 graduates prepare to go out into the world, what happened in New York and Minneapolis and Georgia and Louisville—and in Cleveland not too long ago—are not isolated incidents, but rather another chapter in our country’s history of racial injustice and white supremacy. These episodes highlight the challenges and dangers that will confront all of our students, and especially our Black students, as they journey out into the world. 

In the Jewish faith, there is an underlying idea that even in times of great celebration, we must take time to remember the brokenness of our world. This is why at Jewish weddings, right before a married couple dances down the aisle, they take a moment to break a glass under their feet. Today, I am reminded of this practice. We must celebrate all we have accomplished this year, but even in the moment of this great joy, there is sorrow, tragedy and inequity all around us that we, as a community, have a responsibility to address.

We are prepared to do so.

Thank you.