Current and recently graduated students of Poudre School District put pressure on district officials in Fort Collins Monday, June 8, and Tuesday, June 9 in an effort to change policies and practices that do not support students of color.
“We are calling the District out on all issues but the main ones are a safer environment in schools, a more proactive education system, and more diverse staff and education,” said Chloe Brewer, Poudre High School class of 2020 Valedictorian.
The call to action came in light of recent Black Lives Matter protests across the country and world, with students from Poudre School District organizing a protest and rally outside the School District Offices on Monday, June 8, around 1 pm. This was followed by a meeting with the students and District administrators later that afternoon and a virtual Board meeting the following evening.
Students who organized the protest are insisting that the District comply with a multitude of demands, from implementing an anti-racism curriculum, to draw up district-wide policies in opposition to racism, and they are calling for the explosion of students of racists acts.
The Poudre School District Board was set to renew the contract with the Fort Collins Police Department at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday night. However, students asked the Board to hold off and consider not renewing the contract, ultimately delaying the decision.
“Police in schools create an unsafe school environment for students of color and criminalizes students,“ stated Kobi Salinas, PHS class of 2019.
For more information about the Poudre School District, visit https://www.psdschools.org