After voting to rescind an anti-racism declaration that was instituted during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, a school board in Missouri is now reworking the resolution following a surge of backlash from the community.
That board, which provides educational oversight for the Francis Howell School District in O’Fallon, was once occupied by individuals with varying political alliances. Now, it’s overwhelmingly conservative, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly three years ago, in August 2020, just three months after George Floyd’s death and a series of global demonstrations, board members passed a resolution pledging to “speak firmly against any racism, discrimination, and senseless violence against people regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ability.”
That resolution was displayed in the district’s school buildings, calling racism “a crisis that negatively impacts our students, our families, our community, and our staff.”
“We will promote racial healing, especially for our Black and brown students and families,” the resolution states. “We will no longer be silent.”
The district itself, which contains 17,000 students is majority white with 87 percent of white students making up the bulk of the student population. Less than 7 percent of students in the district are Black. It’s one of the largest districts in Missouri.
After community members decried the initial decision to rescind the resolution, Board President Adam Bertrand wrote in a message on Facebook this week that he alongside board member Ponder “believe, based on the dialogue at the last board meeting, support for this resolution as presented is unlikely but feel there may be support of a rewrite or modification.”
Kimberly Thompson was a student at Francis Howell schools in the 1970s and 1980s. Her two children graduated from the district. She…
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