We demand transparency and accountability from the people and institutions in power within our shared spaces. This includes but is not limited to the administration and elected officials residing within District 225 and all of its subsidiaries. We want our curricula, hiring practices, activities, district-affiliated events, and sponsorships to be reflective of the nation’s demographic landscape. Furthermore, we expect a redistribution of funds to these initiatives. Through this work, The Acorn Collective will continue to foster the growth of mindful and empathetic citizens with the ability to discuss issues of inequality and injustice openly and honestly.
Petition to Remove SRO's from D225
Please sign this PETITION to voice your support in the removal of the SRO's from D225.
D225 Petition
Please sign this PETITION to voice your support for D225 implementing these changes into their curriculum and other places of interest.
Letter Sent to the District 225 Board on July 13, 2020
Duration: 2:36
Time called in (847) 486-4728: 1:31pm
Good evening District 225 Board Members and Administrators,
My name is Maria Kahn and I’m leaving this message on behalf of The Acorn Collective: a group of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and White Allies who demand an immediate and ongoing response to the intersectional injustices within our shared spaces. By the end of the week, we will be sending out a petition to alumni, current students, and community members that details our expectations for District 225 moving forward. Our intent is not to target the district, but to demand transparency and accountability from our community leaders, including its school boards.
We wrote this petition in response to the inadequate letter entitled, “Letter in Response to National Crisis” the district released to address the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Your letter, in short, served no discernible purpose other than to sidestep the issues this moment demands you address, and in so doing mark you as complicit in the harm your Black students face.
Measures of academic achievement should not be understood as the only components of an excellent education. The skills students take away from their time at the Glenbrooks matter just as much as how those students perform within the courses the district offers. And what skills are students taking away? They are taking away the skills required to perform well within the boundaries set by society but not to reset those boundaries. It doesn’t teach its students to critically engage with the state of the world and with ideas on how the world can be made better.
It is imperative that we, as a district, practice anti-racism and it is your responsibility as leaders of this district to foster that practice for both your families of color and your white families.
We are no longer satisfied with vague gestures toward diversity and inclusion. As members of this community, we implore you to take the following actions related to your agenda item of textbook changes:
Our petition includes a wider array of actionable items.
We look forward to seeing District 225 truly embrace a culture of equity, transparency, and justice. We urge you to take further concrete steps and engage with your community.
To continue this conversation you may contact us at the following email address: [email protected]
Once again, my name is Maria Kahn.
Thank you.
Time called in (847) 486-4728: 1:31pm
Good evening District 225 Board Members and Administrators,
My name is Maria Kahn and I’m leaving this message on behalf of The Acorn Collective: a group of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and White Allies who demand an immediate and ongoing response to the intersectional injustices within our shared spaces. By the end of the week, we will be sending out a petition to alumni, current students, and community members that details our expectations for District 225 moving forward. Our intent is not to target the district, but to demand transparency and accountability from our community leaders, including its school boards.
We wrote this petition in response to the inadequate letter entitled, “Letter in Response to National Crisis” the district released to address the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Your letter, in short, served no discernible purpose other than to sidestep the issues this moment demands you address, and in so doing mark you as complicit in the harm your Black students face.
Measures of academic achievement should not be understood as the only components of an excellent education. The skills students take away from their time at the Glenbrooks matter just as much as how those students perform within the courses the district offers. And what skills are students taking away? They are taking away the skills required to perform well within the boundaries set by society but not to reset those boundaries. It doesn’t teach its students to critically engage with the state of the world and with ideas on how the world can be made better.
It is imperative that we, as a district, practice anti-racism and it is your responsibility as leaders of this district to foster that practice for both your families of color and your white families.
We are no longer satisfied with vague gestures toward diversity and inclusion. As members of this community, we implore you to take the following actions related to your agenda item of textbook changes:
- Conduct an equity audit that will be made available to the public upon completion. This audit would include an analysis of our curricula.
- Include literature by BIPOC authors at each level of the English curriculum for all 4 years
- Adjust Social Studies curricula to correct misinformation from textbooks discussing colonization and BIPOC history
- Change the language in Social Studies curricula to accurately reflect the roles Black and Indigenous people were forced into (ex. The genocide of Native people, change slaves to enslaved people, etc.)
- Create an elective course in the Social Studies department that addresses our country’s roots, legacies, ongoing struggles, systems of oppression, white supremacy, and privilege
Our petition includes a wider array of actionable items.
We look forward to seeing District 225 truly embrace a culture of equity, transparency, and justice. We urge you to take further concrete steps and engage with your community.
To continue this conversation you may contact us at the following email address: [email protected]
Once again, my name is Maria Kahn.
Thank you.
Letter Sent to the District 30 Board on June 25th
Dear District 30 Board Members and Administrators,
My name is Yasmine Ramachandra. I use she/her pronouns. I am a Maple and GBN alum. My sisters went to Wescott, Maple, and GBN. My mom, Leena, is currently an instructional assistant at Wescott. I say this so that my intent is clear - my family and I care for this district and I want its students to be more equipped than I was to have discussions about inequity, discrimination, and race. I am speaking on behalf of myself and The Acorn Collective, a group of community members comprised of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and White allies who demand an immediate and ongoing response to the intersectional injustices within our shared spaces. As I am speaking to this board, one of my associates is addressing District 31. Our intent is not to target or call out districts, but to demand transparency and accountability from our communities’ leaders, including school boards. In this letter, I hope to share my experience and others’ as a student in District 30 as well as advocate for an equity audit and mandatory staff anti-racism and discrimination training to be a part of your strategic plan.
Though I loved most of the teachers at Maple and formed strong friendships with some of my peers, the racial divide was glaring. I had at most one non-white teacher. None of my peers were Black. Very few were Latinx and only a handful looked like me. I rarely saw white students spending time with students of color. Though the board cannot do much in changing the make-up of the student body, the board can conduct more expansive and purposeful searches when filling staff positions. I see this as an equivalent to people of color seeing people who look like them on TV. Representation is important to feeling seen and valued in and out of the school environment.
I moved to Northbrook when I was 12 and throughout my entire 7th grade, two of my white peers repeatedly referred to me as the “new brown girl.” Twice, I was called “sand n*****.” My peers in Navigate and my teacher would constantly say microaggressions when I would perform well in Math and Science because I am South Asian. For example, I often heard “Of course Yasmine finished the problem first,” or “Naturally, Yasmine got the highest score.” When I spoke to my teacher about how this made me uncomfortable, she claimed she was merely praising my hard work, but I noticed she did not make these same comments to white students who were equally if not more consistent with their success. Instead, they would receive affirmations that did not reference their identity. It was harmful to hear these comments from students and even more jarring to hear them from my teacher.
I noticed the girls wearing name brand clothes and straightening their hair. In the first week of attending Maple, a student called me a “dyke” for wearing basketball shorts. I scrambled to change my appearance. Yet as hard as I tried to assimilate, I was still treated as an “other.” The desire to be white and straight passing followed me through high school. Only in college was I able to fully unlearn this desire and embrace my identities and my body. These are only a small sample of injustices I saw from both staff and students in my two years at District 30.
Though my experiences are 10 years old, I know that other students face the same discrimination today. These two instances are from a recent Maple graduate and Wescott alum.
In third grade, the student was playing football with his friends at recess. When he missed a catch, his peers yelled at him and said, “Brown boy, stop playing football and go do math.” Understandably, the student was in shock and did not realize that this comment was a form of both racism and bullying. He did not understand that “brown boy” was derogatory.
In 7th grade, the class was doing an activity to reveal which students were marked as communists. Each “communist” student was given a red dot. Another student in the class looked at him and said, “You are a red dot because you have a red dot on your forehead.” This was a reference to Hindus wearing color as a symbol of sanctity. Once again, the student was in shock, but he quickly identified this as a racist remark. He told the teacher and the teacher spoke to the student. The student’s parents also notified the administration and they also handled the situation. Though this situation was handled correctly by the teacher, would the administration have been as proactive in addressing the racist comment if the parents had not been involved?
These experiences show two things. First, students in this district are not immune to developing implicit and explicit biases that they need to unlearn. Second, parents and students of color need to feel safe and need to see that the administration will protect them in school.
As this board works on its strategic plan, I urge you to consult an outside source to perform an equity audit of all District 30 schools. I briefly spoke to Dr. Wegley on the phone about an audit when I asked to attend the board’s meeting. I was assured that the board would be adjusting its practices and focus on “being a part of the solution.” But with a board that itself is not very diverse, how can we expect a truly comprehensive analysis and change in our curricula and hiring practices. If an audit were conducted, I ask that the results be made public so that community members are treated as the stakeholders they are and are given the power to hold the board accountable. I also ask that the board considers implementing anti-racism and discrimination training for all staff. This would not be a one-time workshop. This should be a mandatory series of workshops throughout the entire school year.
Our district prides itself on its academic success and our Illinois Report Card reflects our high achievements. But with a population of 43% of students being students of color, I believe our district is long overdue for a change in curricula that supports their experiences. Though I appreciate the district’s letter addressing the death of George Floyd and events that followed, it saddened me to read the sentence: “I continue to be proud to live in and serve our community that values diversity and is full of “helpers” who foster an inclusive world.” I did not see diversity being regularly celebrated and valued. I saw too many instances students tokenized and ostracized for being different. Our schools cannot be inclusive if our curriculum doesn’t address anti-racism. Sharing resources in that letter was productive and necessary, but those should not be optional readings for District 30 families. They need to be integrated into practices and teachings at our schools for both staff and students. Rather than claiming we are already a community that “fosters an inclusive world,” we need to start actively saying and embracing what it is to be anti-racist.
Sincerely,
Yasmine Ramachandra on behalf of the Acorn Collective
My name is Yasmine Ramachandra. I use she/her pronouns. I am a Maple and GBN alum. My sisters went to Wescott, Maple, and GBN. My mom, Leena, is currently an instructional assistant at Wescott. I say this so that my intent is clear - my family and I care for this district and I want its students to be more equipped than I was to have discussions about inequity, discrimination, and race. I am speaking on behalf of myself and The Acorn Collective, a group of community members comprised of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and White allies who demand an immediate and ongoing response to the intersectional injustices within our shared spaces. As I am speaking to this board, one of my associates is addressing District 31. Our intent is not to target or call out districts, but to demand transparency and accountability from our communities’ leaders, including school boards. In this letter, I hope to share my experience and others’ as a student in District 30 as well as advocate for an equity audit and mandatory staff anti-racism and discrimination training to be a part of your strategic plan.
Though I loved most of the teachers at Maple and formed strong friendships with some of my peers, the racial divide was glaring. I had at most one non-white teacher. None of my peers were Black. Very few were Latinx and only a handful looked like me. I rarely saw white students spending time with students of color. Though the board cannot do much in changing the make-up of the student body, the board can conduct more expansive and purposeful searches when filling staff positions. I see this as an equivalent to people of color seeing people who look like them on TV. Representation is important to feeling seen and valued in and out of the school environment.
I moved to Northbrook when I was 12 and throughout my entire 7th grade, two of my white peers repeatedly referred to me as the “new brown girl.” Twice, I was called “sand n*****.” My peers in Navigate and my teacher would constantly say microaggressions when I would perform well in Math and Science because I am South Asian. For example, I often heard “Of course Yasmine finished the problem first,” or “Naturally, Yasmine got the highest score.” When I spoke to my teacher about how this made me uncomfortable, she claimed she was merely praising my hard work, but I noticed she did not make these same comments to white students who were equally if not more consistent with their success. Instead, they would receive affirmations that did not reference their identity. It was harmful to hear these comments from students and even more jarring to hear them from my teacher.
I noticed the girls wearing name brand clothes and straightening their hair. In the first week of attending Maple, a student called me a “dyke” for wearing basketball shorts. I scrambled to change my appearance. Yet as hard as I tried to assimilate, I was still treated as an “other.” The desire to be white and straight passing followed me through high school. Only in college was I able to fully unlearn this desire and embrace my identities and my body. These are only a small sample of injustices I saw from both staff and students in my two years at District 30.
Though my experiences are 10 years old, I know that other students face the same discrimination today. These two instances are from a recent Maple graduate and Wescott alum.
In third grade, the student was playing football with his friends at recess. When he missed a catch, his peers yelled at him and said, “Brown boy, stop playing football and go do math.” Understandably, the student was in shock and did not realize that this comment was a form of both racism and bullying. He did not understand that “brown boy” was derogatory.
In 7th grade, the class was doing an activity to reveal which students were marked as communists. Each “communist” student was given a red dot. Another student in the class looked at him and said, “You are a red dot because you have a red dot on your forehead.” This was a reference to Hindus wearing color as a symbol of sanctity. Once again, the student was in shock, but he quickly identified this as a racist remark. He told the teacher and the teacher spoke to the student. The student’s parents also notified the administration and they also handled the situation. Though this situation was handled correctly by the teacher, would the administration have been as proactive in addressing the racist comment if the parents had not been involved?
These experiences show two things. First, students in this district are not immune to developing implicit and explicit biases that they need to unlearn. Second, parents and students of color need to feel safe and need to see that the administration will protect them in school.
As this board works on its strategic plan, I urge you to consult an outside source to perform an equity audit of all District 30 schools. I briefly spoke to Dr. Wegley on the phone about an audit when I asked to attend the board’s meeting. I was assured that the board would be adjusting its practices and focus on “being a part of the solution.” But with a board that itself is not very diverse, how can we expect a truly comprehensive analysis and change in our curricula and hiring practices. If an audit were conducted, I ask that the results be made public so that community members are treated as the stakeholders they are and are given the power to hold the board accountable. I also ask that the board considers implementing anti-racism and discrimination training for all staff. This would not be a one-time workshop. This should be a mandatory series of workshops throughout the entire school year.
Our district prides itself on its academic success and our Illinois Report Card reflects our high achievements. But with a population of 43% of students being students of color, I believe our district is long overdue for a change in curricula that supports their experiences. Though I appreciate the district’s letter addressing the death of George Floyd and events that followed, it saddened me to read the sentence: “I continue to be proud to live in and serve our community that values diversity and is full of “helpers” who foster an inclusive world.” I did not see diversity being regularly celebrated and valued. I saw too many instances students tokenized and ostracized for being different. Our schools cannot be inclusive if our curriculum doesn’t address anti-racism. Sharing resources in that letter was productive and necessary, but those should not be optional readings for District 30 families. They need to be integrated into practices and teachings at our schools for both staff and students. Rather than claiming we are already a community that “fosters an inclusive world,” we need to start actively saying and embracing what it is to be anti-racist.
Sincerely,
Yasmine Ramachandra on behalf of the Acorn Collective
Letter Sent to the District 31 Board on June 25th
Dear District 31 Board Members and Administrators,
I am writing to you today to express my frustration and dissatisfaction with the way in which you have chosen to respond to one of the three crises that our nation is currently facing. As a country, we are facing public health and economic crises due to COVID-19. It has no doubt touched each and every community within the United States, as well as the world at large. The third crisis I am referring to is the racial crisis that isn’t new, but in this most recent instance comes in the wake of the systemic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black men, women, and children.
As a group, you had an opportunity to demonstrate to the families within District 31 and members of both the Northbrook and Glenview community that as an educational institution you actively condemn racism in all of its forms. Including the very real racism that exists here in Northbrook and Glenview, Illinois. As an alumni of District 31, I am telling you that you fell short. Your message feels as if you are more concerned about being professional than compassionately connecting with the human beings within this community, and the very real pain that so many are feeling.
I grew up in District 31. My three younger siblings and I attended both Winkelman Elementary School from Kindergarten to 5th grade, and Field Middle School from 6th to 8th grade. My mother volunteered as a room parent for many years, and later volunteered with the PTC serving as VP of Fundraising and then President. She fought for the referendum and volunteered for five years organizing the 8th grade trip to Washington DC. My family and I sincerely love this district. Reflecting on it now I am extremely grateful for several of the teachers that I was able to learn from and who have continued to support me. However, my positive experience within the district will not prevent me from voicing my concerns and urging you all to do better.
According to the most recent publicly available Illinois school report card 58% of the students within the District 31 community are non-white, Black indigenous people of color (BIPOC). Speaking as a former Latinx student, it is a disservice to this community if you continue to dance around these issues instead of confronting them head-on. As one of the most diverse districts that feed into District 225 you should be leading in this effort, and constantly seeking ways to do better. Not only by gathering together to discuss race and racism, but by putting actions behind your words. I am glad to hear that this coming school year the district will be partaking in an equity audit. That is a great first step. I am interested to know which organization/company will conduct the equity audit, and when it is complete will that information be made readily available to the public? Moving forward, transparency with the community you are serving is key.
I am also sincerely hoping that you will not wait a full year to create change within the district, or worse wait for the next iteration of the brutalization of black and brown bodies to be broadcasted over every media outlet. I would like to remind you that just because the issue may no longer be “trending” that does not mean that it is not of the utmost importance. You have a responsibility to both your families of color as well as your white families to seriously take a look at your curriculum, hiring practices, school-sponsored events, school policies, and essentially everything that encompasses the district. I urge you to stop saying that you aren’t racist, but rather to start actively saying and embracing what it is to be anti-racist.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Maria Kahn on behalf of The Acorn Collective
I am writing to you today to express my frustration and dissatisfaction with the way in which you have chosen to respond to one of the three crises that our nation is currently facing. As a country, we are facing public health and economic crises due to COVID-19. It has no doubt touched each and every community within the United States, as well as the world at large. The third crisis I am referring to is the racial crisis that isn’t new, but in this most recent instance comes in the wake of the systemic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black men, women, and children.
As a group, you had an opportunity to demonstrate to the families within District 31 and members of both the Northbrook and Glenview community that as an educational institution you actively condemn racism in all of its forms. Including the very real racism that exists here in Northbrook and Glenview, Illinois. As an alumni of District 31, I am telling you that you fell short. Your message feels as if you are more concerned about being professional than compassionately connecting with the human beings within this community, and the very real pain that so many are feeling.
I grew up in District 31. My three younger siblings and I attended both Winkelman Elementary School from Kindergarten to 5th grade, and Field Middle School from 6th to 8th grade. My mother volunteered as a room parent for many years, and later volunteered with the PTC serving as VP of Fundraising and then President. She fought for the referendum and volunteered for five years organizing the 8th grade trip to Washington DC. My family and I sincerely love this district. Reflecting on it now I am extremely grateful for several of the teachers that I was able to learn from and who have continued to support me. However, my positive experience within the district will not prevent me from voicing my concerns and urging you all to do better.
According to the most recent publicly available Illinois school report card 58% of the students within the District 31 community are non-white, Black indigenous people of color (BIPOC). Speaking as a former Latinx student, it is a disservice to this community if you continue to dance around these issues instead of confronting them head-on. As one of the most diverse districts that feed into District 225 you should be leading in this effort, and constantly seeking ways to do better. Not only by gathering together to discuss race and racism, but by putting actions behind your words. I am glad to hear that this coming school year the district will be partaking in an equity audit. That is a great first step. I am interested to know which organization/company will conduct the equity audit, and when it is complete will that information be made readily available to the public? Moving forward, transparency with the community you are serving is key.
I am also sincerely hoping that you will not wait a full year to create change within the district, or worse wait for the next iteration of the brutalization of black and brown bodies to be broadcasted over every media outlet. I would like to remind you that just because the issue may no longer be “trending” that does not mean that it is not of the utmost importance. You have a responsibility to both your families of color as well as your white families to seriously take a look at your curriculum, hiring practices, school-sponsored events, school policies, and essentially everything that encompasses the district. I urge you to stop saying that you aren’t racist, but rather to start actively saying and embracing what it is to be anti-racist.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Maria Kahn on behalf of The Acorn Collective
