Mahomet-Seymour Alumni and School Board shared thoughts on race and education

Mahomet-Seymour Alumni are asking the Mahomet-Seymour School District to do more to educate and prepare their students for a diverse and inclusive world.

The alumni group collected nearly 650 signatures of alumni and current students who say that what is taught in the public school system is not enough.

The petition focused on a statement from Mahomet-Seymour taking a stand against racism, updated curriculum addressing issues such as inclusion, race, power and privilege and providing training for staff focusing on cultural competency, implicit bias, and developing culturally responsive lesson plans.

“While we value the public education we received and lessons we learned, we cannot ignore the curriculum gaps and harmful pedagogical practices which also accompanied our education at Mahomet Seymour,” the petition read. “Our K-12 education did not prepare us to recognize, acknowledge, or engage with the current and historical social injustices in our society, nor were we prepared to enter a diverse, global workforce. Additionally, various lesson plans, assignments, and the framing of historical events and timelines of our nation have further contributed, likely unintentionally but with a negative impact nonetheless, to the social injustices of our society.”

Nate Lundstrom, an upcoming senior at Mahomet-Seymour, talked about the “white washing” that happens in the history classes. He mentioned that there was a discrepancy between what is taught in AP courses, a “darker” version of United States history, and regular history courses.

The view was echoed by 2020 graduates Zoe Hovde, Layne Brock and Brooke Sellers.

While all of the speakers wanted to see a more diverse student population, they called on the district to hire a more diverse staff, too. 

Sellers said that it was only in her junior year of high school that she was able to develop relationships a more diverse population, and that is because she got a job in Champaign.

“I was not taught once in those 15 years about Juneteeth; and I had to learn about Japanese internment camps that happened here in the United States from my peers, not my history teachers, even though I know that has been brought up to teachers before I got to that learning level. 

“And speaking about history classes, why do we spend a week learning about how people came to America by land bridge, but it’s a footnote that those same people were slaughtered by colonizers. And why were we only taught about the non-violent actions in our history classes? 

“Why do we talk about how the Boston Tea Party was miraculous but that’s the end of learning about direct action. We spend more time learning about oil tycoons than anything about Malcolm X or Marsha P. Johnson or any other civil rights activists other than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

“I learned nothing about the LGBT community and how they got their rights. I say that if we can make room for oil tycoons, we can make room for people that were fighting back then, that are still fighting now for their rights, in our curriculum.”

Hovde also asked the board to make wearing the Confederate flag an equivalent to using profanity in the school district. 

Brock, who attended Centennial High School as a junior, said that the two high school approached a conversation about race very differently.

“For Mahomet a maximum of two weeks were spent on the civil rights movement, and that was mostly watching a documentary. At Centennial, we had two different projects on the civil rights movement; we spent a month going deep into each part of the civil rights movement.

“Mahomet also barely acknowledged Black History Month. At Centennial, we focused on not only in history classes, but also English classes.”

Brock also said that she enjoyed listening to present history as faculty and students of all races shared poetry and articles that explained their own experiences with racial injustice. 

Jessica Staire, a 2009 graduate shared some of their experiences during their time at Mahomet-Seymour. 

“I was academically successful during my time within the Mahomet-Seymour School Districts and highly evolved within the arts in the community. I am grateful for the work and support of many highly qualified educators that not only supported my learning, but inspired me to move into the field of education.

“However, this was in spite of the inequities and discrimination that I faced as a queer person of color, within the school district. I experienced both implicit and explicit racism and homophobia from staff, community members and students. 

“While I recognize that a school district has a limited scope in terms of controlling specific microaggressions, it shows us values through actions, budgetary spending, professional development, curriculum development and public statements. As educators and as school leadership, who send messages through what we allow to happen in the walls of our school and how we react as a system, taking a stance to support and uplift student voice by speaking up against hateful rhetoric is an excellent first step in ensuring that our students do not continue to experience educational trauma in our institutions.”

Mahomet-Seymour Alumni Meg Tucker, who co-wrote the addendum with her sister, Ash, came to speak about rhetoric that she heard in the June 8 board meeting during a discussion about race.

Tucker said that in 2006 as she came to learn about herself, she began to realize the homophobia that surrounded her. In an effort to create a community for the LBGTQ students, including herself, she tried to start a Gay Straight Alliance.

“I was told by the administration behind closed doors, that gay has negative connotations and so GSA would be out of the question,” she said.

Instead, the district started a diversity club. Upon learning that Mahomet-Seymour now has a GSA, she sees that the district is moving forward. 

But she felt cautious because in the June 8 meeting, a Promise March for Racial Equality was referred to as “charged” or “good”, but a protest was referred to as “draining” or bad.”

“I was taken right back to being a junior in high school and hearing that gay is bad.”

Tucker said that she does not look back fondly on her time at Mahomet-Seymour, citing that the community “lost” her. 

“I still struggle with the internalized homophobia that was implemented in me during that time. And that’s because Mahomet was so far behind the rest of the world. Now, you’ve caught up. So now the Black Lives Matter movement, in this moment, are you going to be completely behind the ball again. Are you gonna have internalized racism, with Black kids and kids of color, because you’re not showing up and you’re not on the same page. 

Lydia Coulson, a 2014 graduate of Mahomet-Seymour, and a co-author of the petition, said that the requests are not an attack on teachers in the Mahomet-Seymour School District. 

A daughter of a Mahomet-Seymour educator, Coulson said that she was raised by the Village of Mahomet-Seymour teachers. 

“I cherish the Mahomet teachers who have been in my life, and I know firsthand the incredible hard work that they put in to see their students grow and succeed,” she said. 

“The concerns we have and the requests that we bring up are not intended to be an attack on teachers. Rather, they are an invitation to the district, particularly the school board and administration to enter the national conversation about systemic racism that their social justice and their pedagogy to commit to doing better through concrete actions to handle systemic racism and support to our students of color.”

Mahomet resident Lara Hansfield, echoed that the petition and resolution presented were not an attack on educators, but “looking forward to understand how we as teachers and as a community can more productively and critically understand systemic inequities.”

Hansfield suggested that the district reach out to the College of Education at the University of Illinois to conduct an independent equity of social justice audit.

“This would examine the school climate, curriculum, achievement, discipline, other kinds of supports, community experiences, professional development. Really, it needs to be critical and it needs to be multi-dimensional. Its emphasis should be on the district and the schools as a system.”

Other speakers, such as Bob Knight, asked the board not to adopt the resolution that was presented by the alumni group. 

“The members of the school board have not studied, nor are experts in the field of systemic racism and are therefore not qualified to assert with any authority that systemic racism is real in American society. Every school board and school district should certainly be sensitive and trained to avoid implicit bias. MS is no different in that respect and should always work to avoid bias and every way.”

Knight called the resolution a political response to the current events in America.

Mahomet resident Nikki Gallier also wrote to the board.

“Educators have many opportunities to infuse diversity into the already existing curriculum,” she wrote. 

Gallier said those who wrote the petition and resolution could have first had a conversation with Superintendent Lindsey Hall to see what is already in place and being done within the school district. 

She said that the “school board’s task is to gather evidence, gain feedback from stakeholders and provide support where needed, informing appropriate professional development, potential changes to curriculum and providing an opportunity for pedagogical growth in a collaborative not top down fashion.”

After public comment, board members had an opportunity to chime in with their thoughts on what was discussed during public comment.

Board member Ken Keefe said that “every American should be standing shoulder to shoulder demanding changes that will protect our brothers and sisters of color and fully dismantle the system of racism embedded in our society.”

“To those who rush to defend themselves, their friends, their family when instances of systemic racism is uncovered and projected for all to see, I believe you are missing the point. We have to prioritize the injustices that must be addressed. While you may be correct to feel wronged for being lumped together with others, people of color in our nation are being murdered in the streets.”

Board member Colleen Schultz said that when she looks at the world, it is overwhelming to look at all of the injustices. 

“I wonder how do we make a difference in our world and can one person even make a difference at all? And I don’t know if we can make a difference in this world, but I do know that we can make a difference in our own community,” she said. 

“As school board members we took a vow that we would be a part of establishing the structure and environment. That was designed to ensure that all of the students have the opportunity to attain their maximum potential. We play a role in the equitable and quality education of every student in the district. Every student. 

“Tonight, we’ve heard from students and alumni and others that have told us how they’re hurting, that this isn’t the perfect place for them. And to those people, please know that I hear you. You see, I want every student to be able to say that their experience in our school district was top notch. It’s our responsibility and duty as a board to work on our structure and our environments.”

Board member Meghan Hennesy added to Schultz’s sentiments.

“My heart hurts for those of you who have experienced this kind of pain and trauma and I will continue to stand by you, hold you up, stand in front of you, be your voice, fight with you, fight for you and listen.”

Board member Merle Giles said that much of what he observed, whether in city or suburban schools, has been driven by family values. 

He said that the schools have a unique opportunity in being able to engage with the community and families and that he would like to encourage the district to consider “how to be with families, deeply” as we move forward.

Board member Jeremy Henrichs echoed that he believed that how “we treat others begins at home.

“I’m not sure that the school is equipped to provide a moral backbone, there’s certainly some rules and guidance that we can give along the way, but that moral backbone should come from the family, and doing everything we can to keep families together, equipping them, educating their children, which is a primary responsibility of the school will go a long way,” he said.

Henrichs would also like the district to talk about the achievements gap. 

“That’s where we come in in closing that academic achievement gap,” he said. “And that is what provides opportunity or equal access to opportunity for people who come from underserved minorities, any background.

“Probably the most inclusive statement that we could make for each other, that we could even honor, as a school district and as a community would be just love your neighbor as yourself. I don’t think that excludes anybody. And it’s something that we all can live by, and it’s very simple.”

Board member Lori Larson said that she strongly agrees with Henrichs’ statement about loving each other. 

“I feel like we can make change by example and some of those examples have been brought up. We can do better and we need to start a dialogue and discussion about how we do better can make us better,” Larson said. 

She added that there are a lot of challenges the Mahomet-Seymour School District has to face in upcoming months.

“We have a population of 7% of the students that didn’t have access to the materials that they needed through COVID. We have over 20% kids of low income. So we need to take a look at everything.”

In closing her comments, Larson said that the Mahomet-Seymour Fieldhouse renovation and the staircase on the east side of Lincoln Trail are looking very nice. 

“There’s some really cool things happening,” she said.

Board President Max McComb rounded out comments, thanking people for coming to talk, even though it may be intimidating.

“We often focus on what we do well,” he said. “And we do a lot of things well. But we’ve always said we’re not perfect, and I think tonight was a stark reminder that we’re not. There’s things that need attention, and there is a need to work on.”

He said board members, administrators and staff are willing to do the work.  

The board will discuss the resolution again at in their August 3 study session.

Larson said that she likes the idea of setting goals that include targeting all students and that teachers and administrators should come to the board with research-based curriculum, sharing their insight and opinions.

There was discussion over the board’s role in the resolution presented in the board packet.

Hall said that the development of the strategic plan is board work. Then it is the Superintendent’s role to develop actionable steps.

She also encouraged the board to take a look at board policies 6:10 (Educational Philosophy and Objectives), 3:10 (Administrative Goals and Objectives) and 1:30 (School Philosophy). Hall suggested that as the board looks at the policies, that language could be added to address some of the issues brought before the board.

Hennesy said that there is work to be done procedurally, too.

“Policy is not where it gets done policy is the overriding guideline. It is the procedures and implementation that are important,” she said.

Henrichs said that he agreed with Hennesy when she talked about change.

“If you’re going to implement change, then you should change,” he said.

He continued to say that if the board “is going to have a document, it needs to be our own document.”

Larson said that she also agreed in that she didn’t want to tell the teachers what to do.

Henrichs said that the board should engage with a broader conversation with the community to create something that is representative of the community.

“I think anything that we have should reflect the values of our community,” Henrichs said.

To learn about the diversity training at Mahomet-Seymour, read this article: https://mahometdaily.com/mahomet-seymour-school-board-gets-update-on-previous-diversity-training-and-vision-moving-forward/.