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A Letter to BASD Students from Dr. Roy

a letter
 
Dear BASD Students,
 
I know you have seen the video of the death of a black man while in custody in MN and the protests and the riots around the country. Many of you feel scared, angry and confused when you see the recent events. Some of you must be asking why? Some of you know that hundreds of years of racism right up to the present are the cause of those protests. 
 
Too many of my generation convinced ourselves racism was a thing of the past. Too many of us were sure that if we were simply "not racist" and sure that since racial discrimination is "illegal", that racism was a thing of past. 
 
My Latino and black students know this is untrue because you live the reality of racism everyday.  Many of my white students know this is untrue because  they are friends of and teammates of and classmates of their Latino and black peers. 
 
There is no excuse now for every white person to not know the truth of racism in our society.  We must do better. Last August, I challenged all our teachers and principals to be "anti-racist" not just "not racist". Anti-racism is actively speaking out and addressing acts of racism, racist comments, racist practices, etc. In BASD, we are now thinking and acting as anti-racists. Hence, this letter to all of my students.
 
BASD as an educational institution condemns racism in all its forms. The Bethlehem Area School Board condemns racism. The good people of the BASD community stand with our Latino and black students as allies during this time. You are not alone. I stand with you. Your teachers stand with you. All of BASD stands with you. We must be your allies. Although we are learning on-line and the end of the school year approaches, please know you can reach out to  your teachers, counselors, principals and me if we can support you in anyway.
 
Be safe.
 
Sincerely,
Dr. Roy
Superintendent of Schools
 
"The death of a black man while in custody, protests in the streets...my comments from earlier this year are even more true now" - Dr. Roy. Please view videos from Convocation 2019 below.