West Chester Area School District Renews Focus on Equity with Anti-Racist Curricula

With “diversity” having been a part of its lessons for nearly two decades, the West Chester Area School District is now renewing its focus on “equity” with anti-racist curricula, writes Melissa Jacobs for Main Line Today.

“Diversity was about broader topics like culture, languages, food, and dress, but it didn’t dig into the issues of systemic and institutionalized racism,” said Tammi Florio, Director of Teaching and Learning at WCASD. “Equity is about seeing those unconscious biases – not ignoring color and gender but having conversations around them.”

Anti-racist discussions are already part of social studies classes at Rustin High School. Here, history is viewed by using the social construct of race as a lens.

The district is also currently considering a “Race and Ethnicity in America” course for its three high schools. Teachers, parents, and school board members are all working on the curriculum. However, Florio emphasized that other opinions are important as well, especially those of students.

“We’ll start including them,” she said. “I look forward to hearing what they say.”

Read more about the West Chester Area School District in Main Line Today here.

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