Harrell Carter, president, NAACP Jackson-Madison County branch, sent this letter to Dr. Marlon King, superintendent Jackson-Madison Schools, expressing his concerns about the reopening of Jackson-Madison County schools.
Re. JMC SCHOOL DISTRICT RE-OPENING
Dear Superintendent King,
Black parents have good reason to be cautious about blindly sending their kids back to school, especially given the COVID-19 spikes in Madison County and disproportionate black deaths from COVID-19.
A recent NAACP Poll of a national sample of African Americans found that 80% of those polled preferred to hold off on ending the shutdowns to assure their safety, ahead of boosting the economy.
Public schools should not re-open unless all Center for Disease Control (CDC) protections and indicators (based on symptoms, based on cases, and based on hospital readiness measures) are satisfied.
This CDC analysis must be done for each county where there are schools.
But if schools do re-open, we demand that school districts provide quality, equally accessible, public, non-charter on-line programs for students whose parents or caretakers do not feel comfortable sending them back to school under present conditions.
And because the pandemic is exacerbating pre-existing structural race issues in education, we also demand that you re-examine the district’s approach to addressing the literacy crisis, that you address the digital divide in homes and schools, that you work closely with State officials to provide equitable funding and resources for public schools, and that the school district re-evaluate the negative ways black students are often perceived, treated, educated, and/or disciplined. We you and the district the best in these difficult times.
Letter is unedited
(PHOTO: Harrell Carter)
