Racist incidents and systemic inequities at Eastern Carver County Schools have plagued the district for far too long. Harm sustained is serious and ongoing, Students’ and parents’ well-documented pleas for change have gone unanswered. Parents and students themselves understandably have increasing and unprecedented levels of distrust in school leadership. It threatens the educational, social and emotional development of all students. To insure measurable action and accountability we need to see the following, starting immediately:

En español: http://bit.ly/ISD112EnEspañol

Accountability to racial minority concerns. Including,
1. Equity and Inclusion placed as permanent item on all regular school board meeting agendas, with clearly stated and deadlined commitments, updates and quantified results;
2. Regular, ongoing and well-communicated public forums allowing community members to ask district leadership questions and receive candid answers;
3. Measured, documented and publicly announced results, findings and plans; and,
4. At least yearly “state of the solution” reports on specific measurable outcomes that are well-communicated in a public forum as well as news, district and social media, etc.

Restructure all equity leadership and advisory groups starting at the highest levels, including:
1. To include no less than representative numbers of racial minority parents, staff and/or community leaders (currently 24%) , with;
2. Published agendas and comprehensive minutes for all meetings.

Zero-Tolerance policy on racism, discrimination and racist acts:
1. That is published, with;
2. Clear protocols that define required staff responses that include consequences by offense, with;
3. Deployment of defined processes to prevent and monitor retaliation by other students in the form of harassment, bullying, silencing or ostracizing of racial minority students beyond the targeted victims, and;
4. Immediate notification to all parents in the district when any racist incident has occurred.
5. After-action review of the district’s response by equity advisor group and/or qualified outside analyst with proven knowledge of effective responses to racism and victims of racism.

Mandatory trauma-focused protocols for supporting victims consistent with relevant research Including:
1. A clear grievance process that doesn’t limit reports to school principals, allowing victims the option to direct complaints to equity advisory group(s), equity coordinator(s) and appropriate others.
2. Increased mental health support by a racial-trauma trained practitioner(s) for the victim. And potential others affected vicariously, if the incident happened on and in school property.
3. Two to three clear pathways for victim(s) to share their story with peers, overseen by an adult professionally educated in facilitating empathetic listening. Which includes opportunities for victim(s) to outline their needs as a result of the violation.
4. Ongoing and proactive follow-up for targeted students to insure solutions are and remain age-, student and incident-appropriate and reparative, and;
5. Monitor and prevent potential retaliation.
6. Scheduled, proactive follow ups with victims’ parents.

Robust racially- and ethnically-informed curricula, materials and pedagogies that:
1. Are approved by district parents of minority students and minority community members as well as respected civil rights educators.
2. Include narratives beyond common superficial, simplistic or White-centered Black History, and;  
3. Incorporate district wide celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month at all schools, and:
4. Include enthusiastic support for minority students to proudly share their perspectives, including by utilizing principles of personalized learning that allow them to customize coursework with culturally relevant exercises and opportunities to regularly share their knowledge with other students and staff, and;
5. As well as regular and enthusiastically supported opportunities for ethnic minority students to engage in safe and respectful conversations with majoritarian classmates and teachers regarding inclusion and equity, emphasizing the voices and lived-experience of minority students.

Change the leadership of Chaska High School to be replaced with a professional with documented, proven commitment to the full needs and potentials of all students. Three of four racist incidents in the past six months have involved this school. Mishandling by school leadership has illuminated persistent misconduct evident in what appears to be barely-concealed disregard for minority students, their safety, educational and emotional health. It likely contributes to a pattern of increasingly aggressive targeting by the school's students. As well as to the repression of cultural education and emotional development of majority (white) students.

Significant, accelerated and sustained increases in hiring and retention of racial minority teachers and administrators:
1. Beyond the minimalist numbers outlined by existing plans and evidenced in unkept promises. Nearly a quarter of district students are racial minorities, but less than 1% of their teachers and almost no district administrators are!
2. Mandatory ongoing training for all staff and leadership in Black History, contemporary immigrant and refugee issues, implicit bias, microaggressions, cultural identity, white privilege, institutional and systemic racism scheduled not less than yearly that does not replace, but, is in addition to other initiatives.

 Monthly updates at regular school board meetings, starting
1. At the May 2019 school board meeting; and,
2. Posted prominently on the school website no less than monthly,  

Parents and students have waited long enough. For years we have heard all the right words, but, for those same years we have yet to see anything close to your oft-promised changes. By some measures, things are getting worse. Continued racism and inequity in our schools is a public health and academic emergency. We expect a prompt response indicating your commitment to our above informed and reasonable demands. These changes can no longer be delayed for the sake of our children and the well-being of our community and schools.  We'll do our part, but, what we will no longer do is wait for you to do yours.

5/16/19 Hostile Environment/Educational Discrimination:
http://bit.ly/M2WMay16LettertoISD112
3/27/19 ISD112 Unanswered Government Data Request: http://bit.ly/ISD112UnansweredFOIA
3/27/19 ISD112 Staff Racial Representation Report:
http:/bit.ly/ISD112StaffAnalysis
3/27/19 ISD112 Employee Racial Representation Data Audit & Analysis:
http://bit.ly/ISD112StaffAuditAnalysis
3/5/19 Government Data Request to ISD112: http://bit.ly/ISD112FOIA

5/23/19 Call Racism By Its Name: http://bit.ly/MPRCHSCallRacismByItsName
5/22/19 Chaska High School yearbook delayed to remove blackface photo http://bit.ly/CHSYearbookDelayDuetoBlackface
5/22/19 Chaska High School Delays Yearbook, Apologizing For Blackface Photo: http://bit.ly/CHSDelaysYearbookApologizesforBlackface
5/22/19 Photo with student in blackface delays Chaska High School yearbook: http://bit.ly/PhotoOfBlackfaceDelaysYearbook
5/16/19 What I know now and want every other white person to know too: http://bit.ly/ISD112WhatEveryWhitePersonShouldKnow
5/3/19 Letter: Routinely targeted by classmates: http://bit.ly/CHSAlumniRoutinelyTargeted
5/2/19 "Take stand against racism in ISD112: http://bit.ly/ISD112TakeAStandAgainstRacism
4/27/19 Petition asks for school changes because of racist incidents: http://bit.ly/MNParentsPetitionSchoolSFCHRON
4/27/19 Parents angered by racist incidents at Eastern Carver County schools http://bit.ly/RacistIncidentsatECCSStrib
4/25/19 Listen to your students: http://bit.ly/CHSAlumniSaysListentoStudents
4/25/19 Mayor Addresses Concerns Of Racist Behavior At Chaska High School http://bit.ly/MayorOnRacismChaskaHighWCCO4
4/25/19 Chaska racism prompts question: What was your first experience? http://bit.ly/ChaskaRacismPromptsQuestionKARE11
4/24/19 Chaska mayor: 'We cannot allow our community to be defined by hate': http://bit.ly/ChaskaMayorCantAllowHate
4/24/19 District 112 grapples with equity as another racial incident surfaces
http://bit.ly/District112GrapplesWithAnotherIncident
4/22/19 Chaska community brings concerns of racism to school board: http://bit.ly/ChaskaBringsConcernsToSchoolBoardFOX9
4/22/19 Packed board meeting over racism: http://bit.ly/PackedSchoolBoardMeetingOverRacismKARE11
4/19/19 Chaska High school students create racist Google Map:  http://bit.ly/CHSRacistMapKARE11
4/17/19 'It's unacceptable': Racist image circulated through Chaska High School: http://bit.ly/CHSRacistMapFOX9
4/12/19 Commentary: School should have been proactive: http://bit.ly/CHSBlackHistoryPostersCommentarySWNews
4/11/19 Special Election: Candidates talk about combatting racism: http://bit.ly/ISD112CandidatesTalkRacism
3/7/19 Chaska students protest over Black History Month posters: http://bit.ly/CHSNoBlackHistoryMonth
3/6/19 Racial issues continue to plague Eastern Carver County Schools: http://bit.ly/RaceIssuesISD112KARE11
3/4/19 Chaska High students protest censoring of Black History posters: http://bit.ly/CHSBlackHistoryProtestFOX9
3/1/19 Students Protest MN High School Black History Poster Denials: http://bit.ly/MNStudentsPosterDenialsYAHOO
2/19/19 Chaska High Principal Calls Racist Post ‘Teachable Moment:’ http://bit.ly/ChaskaPrincipalRacistPostWCCO4
2/19/19 Chaska Principal Responds to Another Blackface Incident http://bit.ly/2ndBlackfaceIncidentAtCHS
2/19/19 Chaska principal responds to social media post containing 'racially offensive' hashtag http://bit.ly/ChaskaPrincipalRespondsToRacistHashtag
12/13/19 Student finds racial slur written on shirt at Chaska Middle School http://bit.ly/ISD112RacialSlurInvestigating
12/4/18 Racial slur at Chaska Middle School East: http://bit.ly/RacialSlurChaskaMiddleSchoolKSTP5
12/5/18 Chaska student finds N-word on gym shirt: http://bit.ly/RacistSlurChaskaGymShirtKARE11
12/5/18 Racial slur leads to investigation in Chaska:
http://bit.ly/RacialSlurChaskaKARE11
12/5/18 Mom Demands School Address Racist Bullying: http://bit.ly/MomDemandsSchoolAddressRacismWCCO4
12/5/18 Mom's viral post describes racist bullying her son endures at MN school: http://bit.ly/ViralPostChaskaRacialBullying
9/21/18 MN students wear blackface at football game: http://bit.ly/MNStudentsBlackfaceUSATODAY
9/18/18 Chaska HS Students Painted Faces Black at Football Game: http://bit.ly/CHSBlackfaceKSTP5
11/15/16 Parents concerned about alleged election incidents at Chan High: http://bit.ly/ISD112ElectionIncidentsChan