As a district family, our hearts hurt as we have learned about the senseless deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently George Floyd. Our immediate thoughts and concerns go to the families of these victims and to our Black students, staff members, and community members.
Our country was founded on the beliefs that all people are created equal with the fundamental rights of liberty and freedom. However, we realize that these beliefs and rights are not equally shared for those living in America.
Mount Airy City Schools does not support the institutional racism that is found in this country. We will continue to listen and learn how to do better as a district. We promise to continue the work needed to educate our staff and students on how to recognize racism, confront it through difficult conversations, and how to make decisions and choices that grow us together to be better for our Black community members. We value inclusion and acceptance and work every day to improve on this belief.
This will not be quickly nor easily fixed. But we know that our children are the foundation of our future. We will prioritize our time with them to care for their social and emotional learning, address how these injustices have impacted them, and create opportunities for our children and teachers to grow together. This will take all of us. We invite anyone who wants to be part of this effort, to help with our mission of inclusion by assisting with our mentoring program. Please contact Polly Long to learn more about this work. [email protected]