June
5,
2020
Dear
Prince
William
County
Staff,
Parents,
Students,
and
Community
Members:
Prince
William
County
Public
Schools
(PWCS)
is
proud
of
our
diversity;
we
celebrate
it,
and
we
believe
it
makes
us
a
stronger
community
when
we
listen
and
learn
from
one
another.
Recent
events,
locally
and
nationally,
have
shown
that
the
voices
of
many
in
our
community
are
not
being
heard.
As
a
majority-minority
school
division,
we
must
not
simply
celebrate
diversity
and
equity,
we
must
actively
pursue
it
for
all
of
our
more
than
91,500
students.
Furthermore,
we
must
be
vigilant
in
promoting
antiracism.
In
so
doing,
we
must
ensure
that
employees
who
work
in
our
schools
are
aligned
with
these
practices.
If
they
are
not,
they
must
be
removed
from
our
classrooms.
Words
matter,
symbols
matter,
and
actions
matter.
So
today
I
am
calling
for
the
following:
- We can no longer represent the Confederacy in our schools. To this end, the renaming of Stonewall Jackson High School and Stonewall Middle School should begin immediately, pursuant to the policy of the School Board. It is an insult and an affront to our students, especially in schools where the majority of the students are students of color.
- Additionally, I will be proposing to the School Board we amend our Code of Conduct to prohibit the wearing, or flying, of the Confederate Flag on school grounds. This behavior is often meant to intimidate students of color, and as such, it is a disruption to the educational environment. Incidents in the past have made students extremely uncomfortable, the opposite of my vision for our schools.
- Our law enforcement partners are critical to the safety of all our students and employees and we thank them for their service. We recognize, however, that the relationship between police and all the members of our school community is not always perceived positively. In order to promote a greater understanding and relationship between our community and our police department, I will be establishing a community panel to review our current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Prince William County Police and make recommendations if changes are needed.
Beyond
these
specific
actions,
we
will
continue
to
pursue
equity
across
our
Division
in
a
multitude
of
forms,
from
access,
to
curriculum,
to
individual
and
group
behavior.
The
ongoing
work
of
our
Superintendent's
Advisory
Council
on
Equity
will
continue
to
assist
in
this
effort.
Additionally,
all
PWCS
staff
will
continue
to
complete
mandatory
training
in
Culturally
Responsive
Instruction.
We
must
all
understand
our
own
mindsets
and
recognize
the
viewpoints
of
others,
in
order
to
provide
effective
learning
across
a
diverse
student
body,
and
promote
a
culture
of
respect
and
understanding
for
all.
I
recognize
this
is
only
beginning,
and
we
have
much
more
work
to
do.
As
educators,
we
must
continue
to
find
the
means
to
lend
our
voices
for
those
who
cannot
be
heard.
Dr.
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
said,
"Darkness
cannot
drive
out
darkness;
only
light
can
do
that.
Hate
cannot
drive
out
hate;
only
love
can
do
that."
Steve
Walts
Superintendent
of
Schools
Prince
William
County
Public
Schools