A question of diversity

Recognizing, respecting differences at LMCS

By Demi Budd | Manor Ink

Livingston Manor, NY – Diversity in itself is diverse. When people think of the definition – what constitutes being “diverse” – the idea of people being “different” from one another arises. But what exactly falls under this rubric?

Differences in race, ethnicity and gender are the most discussed examples of diversity. But there are many more equally as important forms. Individuals with disabilities, physical or mental, and differences in economic advantages are just two examples that are especially common in Livingston Manor Central School.

Statistically, LMCS perhaps isn’t the most racially or ethnically diverse school. Seventy-nine percent of the students are White, and the next highest percentage is Hispanic and Latino students at 11 percent.

To put this into a different perspective, out of the 393 students at LMCS, 312 of them are White. Forty-three are Hispanic or Latino. Other ethnic groups include 24 students, or six percent, who are Black; nine students, or two percent, who are multiracial; and five students, or one percent, who are Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

While these statistics are from 2019, they still paint a clear picture of the racial and ethnic diversity at LMCS.

Beyond ethnicity and race, 15 percent are students with disabilities, and 54 percent are students who are economically disadvantaged.

No matter the statistic, however, Superintendent John Evans’ goal is to make every group feel safe and in the proper mindset to learn at LMCS.

A welcoming learning environment

“It’s not a realistic expectation as a school to expect that kids just ignore everything going on around them and focus on schoolwork,” Evans said.

LMCS has recently taken multiple steps to make the school a more safe and welcoming space for all students.

“You know, there are school districts all over the place that have, because of all of the things that occurred last spring, jumped and reacted to the rising tensions between people.”

Last year was indeed quite the time. Along with COVID, other horrific things transpired. The unjust killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black individuals, countless riots and protests – many of which ended with some sort of bloodshed – and the debate over whether or not the police should be defunded are just a few of the things that happened in that short timespan.

The School Transformation Grant is a collaborative, five-year federal grant made to the consortium of Livingston Manor, Roscoe, Downsville, Liberty and Fallsburg schools. It utilizes funds to improve school climate at a community level, including students, staff, parents and local stakeholders, through social and emotional learning support.

Megan Edwards, a full-time school intervention specialist at LMCS explained the grant and its benefits.

“Through the grant, myself, as well as the other intervention specialists, have received and will continue to receive multiple trainings in trauma-informed schools, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports or PBIS, therapy training and many other varieties of training to pass on to our school communities.”

Dealing with traumatic experience

Each district is unique in its needs and population, so school intervention specialists, through this grant, are able to decipher what their district requires and cater to those needs.

As for Edwards’ current activities, she explained, “I am currently working alongside our already amazing guidance department to assist in delivering classroom social-emotional curriculum for Pre-K through 8th grade, group counseling and individual counseling.”

Another initiative at LMCS, which has been under way for multiple years, is the Trauma-Informed School Approach. It’s a method founded on a study of Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, a few years ago.

“Trauma that children have experienced really has an impact on their ability to function in school and even develop as a whole,” said Supt. Evans.

One of the most jarring statistics from this research is that every one in six adults has experienced one or more ACEs.

An adverse childhood experience is any traumatic event that an individual experiences before the age of 18, something he or she remembers as an adult. The ACEs that students experience can severely impact their lives, and are linked to various health conditions and even premature death.

While these experiences may seem to have little to do with diversity at first glance, they are yet another difference among students. A child experiencing ACEs or struggling with mental illness is another example of diversity.

“Trauma doesn’t have to be, you know, this horrible, life-altering thing, but living in a house with addiction or with abusive parents, or with parents going through a divorce, or close family members dying, are all very traumatic for kids and adults,” Evans explained. “This entire past year is, without question, a giant, adverse, traumatic experience.”

These initiatives, as a whole, aim to improve the school climate for students, staff and parents. The goal is to make school a welcoming and safe place for students and staff to be.

Issues raised by concerned citizens

Despite all these efforts, Evans recognizes that racism and inequality exist not just around the world, but in Livingston Manor as well.

“I have no doubt that things have occurred in school for folks. And when we become aware of these things – when they’re reported to us – they are absolutely addressed. They are dealt with,” he said.

“But one of the challenges we face as a school anytime is the fact that we are bound by confidentiality,” Evans continued. “We’ve had situations where a student is disciplined as a consequence of their actions, and that student isn’t honest about the disciplinary consequences they are going to receive.”

Concerns about the adequacy of disciplinary action and racism in general at LMCS have arisen, and a group called Students and Parents Stand Against Racism in Education, or SARE, has formed over the last year.

Ariel Galvez, a graduate student at Binghampton University and one of the founders of the group, described its mission. “SARE is a grass-roots advocacy coalition focused on finding sustainable and effective solutions to racism and discrimination with our local school districts.”

The social media pages of the group, on Facebook and Instagram, offer a platform for students of LMCS and Roscoe Central School to discuss their experiences with racism, their ideas on how to implement better education on different races and other related topics.

Galvez started a petition sent to the LMCS and RCS boards of education in December to address these concerns. A portion of the letter attached to this petition states:

Although school staff is overwhelmed by the challenges brought on by Covid-19, it is not the only topic that should concern them. Now more than ever our students need more active and vocal anti-racist educational leaders that are looking to make true progress towards equity in their communities ... This rise in racist ideology permeates every facet of our society [and] this does not exclude schools and education. Our fight for equity did not end with the ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education in Topeka, that was only the beginning. We’re asking you to continue that journey.

The petition was initially started in light of “... past experiences of students and parents shared in our weekly meetings. [They] have heard accounts of instances of racism and discrimination on school grounds that have been blatantly dismissed. Parents were sent home with their concerns, labeled as either ‘too sensitive’ or ‘tiger moms’ when they raised questions about the quality of their children’s educational environment.”

Galvez is also aware of the steps LMCS is currently taking to improve the school climate, and she commends LMCS for taking this step. “This is an amazing step, but we encourage you to push further. How do we begin to address trauma in students, in young children, without addressing the causes of these traumas?” she said. “One of the traumas that needs to be discussed is that of systemic racism against Black, indigenous, and students of color.”

Galvez concluded, “Racial trauma is just as valid as any other form.”

A clear code of conduct and a meeting

Within this letter is a list of demands compiled with the thoughts of SARE and the experiences of community members. Among these demands are to make it clear in the school’s code of conduct that hate symbolism, such as the Confederate flag, will not be tolerated on school grounds; the implementation of anti-racism education, programs, and training; the creation of a Student of Color Advisory Board; and after school programs that serve as a safe space for students of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The petition garnered nearly 100 signatures and was sent to Supt. Evans, the school boards and both LMCS and RCS districts in February. Supt. Evans responded to this petition and, in early March, Galvez and Evans corresponded and discussed arranging a meeting to speak about these matters.

“We have not been able to schedule anything yet,” Evans said, “but I am open to that. I think that’s the easiest way to work towards addressing a lot of the issues that they’re concerned with.”

Galvez, in a post on Facebook announcing the meeting, said, “We’re excited for this opportunity to meet with our local school districts to brainstorm on ways we can make our schools more actively anti-racist, not just in our words but in our actions.”

While this meeting has yet to happen, both parties are more than willing to address the changes that can be made to LMCS to further improve the climate of diversity. The initiatives already in place are only the beginning of the potential pushes that LMCS will continue to make to ensure that the school is a safe and welcoming space for all students.