Photo by Amanda Seidler / Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District
Summit County officials held a virtual town hall meeting Friday, June 25, to help community members better prepare for the possibility of a wildfire evacuation this summer.
Commissioner Josh Blanchard welcomed a panel of public safety experts to the meeting, including Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons, Director of Emergency Management Brian Bovaird and Summit Fire & EMS spokesperson Steve Lipsher, to help educate residents on what to expect in the event of an evacuation.
The most important takeaway from the meeting was simple: Pay attention and respond appropriately to public messaging.
“I just can’t stress enough the preparedness level, because if we accomplish our goals of ordering an evacuation, effectively message the evacuation, then it really is up to community members to be ready to take that action that we’re asking from them at a moment’s notice,” Bovaird said.
“Historical inequities exist and persist within Summit School District. White students are overrepresented in district programs. … Institutionalized racism and systemic oppression due to language proficiency continue to have the largest impact on student performance …” Summit School District proposed Policy for Just and Equitable Education
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. It will be read again, and is expected to be adopted, at the board meeting May 13.
Pretty harsh self-judgment. The Summit School District has already suffered one misstep on this path. The news release it issued Sept. 25
To be fair, white kids are the majority in this district, but white kids represent a far higher percentage of participants in certain programs, like the gifted and talented program.