Teachers are re-certified every four years. Teacher certification must include de-escalation and peer mediation training. In between certification, I support requiring schools to provide annual de-escalation and peer mediation training with funds provided by DC Council.
I know the pain of structural racism all too well. I was that Black boy assumed to be in need of Ritalin because the school didn’t know how to handle me; I was regularly threatened with suspension in the first and second grade! In high school, I was racially profiled by police in my hometown, in my own neighborhood, cornered by multiple police vehicles and held at gunpoint with my face forced to the pavement for several minutes because I “fit the description” of an alleged suspect. When my Mom and I went to the police precinct to file a complaint there was no record of the stop from the police. This has happened to me more than once. Where one student is treated unjustly, there is injustice embedded in the system. This reality requires us to face the hard truth and make difficult decisions. We must ensure the safety of everyone in our schools but not at the expense of their humanity.
Every student, regardless of need, ought to be able to eat nutritious meals during school hours. Oh, and let’s make the meals taste good. No one wants to eat the kind of porridge served in Oliver.
I contracted HIV when I was 21. This experience has introduced me to a world of compassion. Every DC high school student must be required to complete a total training on sexual transmitted infections and safe sex practices. The expertise abounds in DC; we only need to invest in the lives of our students. This cannot be optional and the training can’t vary depending on skill and the level of bias of individual instructors.
Every student deserves the best education regardless of where parents choose to send their child.Before choice was an option, my Mom, an urban public high school English teacher, refused to send me and my siblings to our neighborhood school, because of its reputation. I understand the frustration, though abandoning our neighborhood schools cannot be the solution.
Every DC household with currently enrolled public school and public charter school students needs Free High-Speed Broadband WiFi now and laptops to learn. This project should begin in Wards 7 and 8 and should begin immediately