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Poway students are calling for unity after school district officials said there have been some incidents of racial or religious harassment on Poway campuses since last week’s presidential election.
Some schools have held assemblies and activities to promote diversity, and Poway High School held a unity rally on Friday in response to an uptick in bullying.
Starting at 6:45 a.m., more than 100 students and staff members met before class to share their concerns and offer support to students who have been targeted because of their race or religion.
“The focus of the message was celebrating diversity in the midst of some of the divisiveness that was happening,” said Christine Paik, spokeswoman for Poway Unified School District. “Some were talking about being kind and how to stand up for others if they see any bullying or harassment.”
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Need for diverse curriculum, staff among Poway Unified parents’ concerns
The Mt. Carmel and Del Norte high schools session drew 115 participants.
(Emily Sorensen)
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Use of racial slurs, adoption of more diverse curriculum plus the need to hire more teachers and staff of color are among the top concerns from parents in the Poway Unified School District, according to staff.
The district held the first meeting of the second round of its Racial Equity Community Conversations series Tuesday night via Zoom. The meeting, which drew 115 participants, was aimed at parents of students attending feeder pattern schools for Mt. Carmel and Del Norte high schools. It was also attended by several students, principals and district administrative staff, plus board members Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff and Darshana Patel. A previous meeting for Del Norte High School on Jan. 6 was canceled and merged with Tuesday night’s Mt. Carmel High School meeting.
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The Poway Unified School District was recently named a Golden Bell Award winner for its yearslong “No Place for Hate” initiative.
The 2020 award from the California School Boards Association is the first time PUSD has won since 2013.
The district was among 116 entrants in 19 categories and won in the category of School Culture & Safety. The 26 judges were experts from school districts and county offices of education.
The district’s “No Place for Hate” initiative was created in 2016 after several hate- and race-related incidents took place at local schools. With the help of the Anti-Defamation League, as well as students, community leaders and law enforcement, the district moved to address issues of bias and bullying. “No Place for Hate” started at the district’s high schools and has since expanded to nearly all of its 39 campuses.