Prevent future instances of racism;
Address the current hostile environment;
Review past reporting procedures and enact new guidelines for reporting discrimination; and
Revise other policies and procedures related to the situation.
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Elisabeth Lambert, an attorney who is working with the Burlington Coalition for Dismantling Racism, said it is appropriate for the coalition to be involved in the process.
Lambert said the U.S. Department of Education encourages schools to seek community input whenever putting together plans for addressing harassment or hate crimes.
Burlington school officials should give full consideration to the citizens groupâs ideas when compiling their anti-racism plan, said Lambert, who is with the American Civil Liberties Union.
School system took discriminatory actions and tolerated racially hostile environment, ruling finds. By Henry Redman - Apr 13th, 2021 02:21 pm //end headline wrapper ?>Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
The Burlington Area School District was torn apart after a teacher formed a lesson around racism and Black Lives Matter protests, according to an NBC News report. (Burlington Area School District Facebook)
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) ruled last week that the Burlington Area School District hasn’t done enough to address a “racially hostile environment” against the district’s students of color. The district now has 30 days to submit a plan that prevents further discrimination, improve the environment, review its policies on reporting and investigation incidents and ensure its policies are in compliance with state law.
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Burlington Area School District addresses racial incidents DPI has since ordered the district to submit a written plan within 30 days detailing steps it will take to prevent further discrimination in discipline, as well as address the racially hostile environment, according to a news release.
Officials say the decision by DPI came after an appeal filed by the ACLU of Wisconsin on behalf of a mother, Darnisha Garbade, whose two Black children both experienced frequent racial harassment from other students. A news release said the harassment routinely included being subjected to racial slurs, and stated one child was disciplined more harshly than white students. The discrimination complaint was filed in March 2020.
Last year, the Burlington Area School District said it didn t find any evidence of racism in its schools. Now, after a state investigation, BASD is being ordered to address the