This article by Patricia LeBoeuf originally appeared Sept. 13 in the Bennington Banner.
Racism exists in Vermont — and school districts must do their part to address it. That’s how Martha Allen, past president of the Vermont chapter of the National Education Association, described the importance of a “deep dive” multiple-year training program in racial equity, which the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union is undertaking.
The SVSU had its first training as part of the program on Aug. 29, for teachers and administrators from Mount Anthony Union Middle School.
The two-hour training functioned as an overview of the program, why it was being offered and what could be expected going forward, said Allen, who now works as the Vermont-NEA’s racial equity liaison.
“Nobody’s ever done this before,” Allen said of the training. “There isn’t a set program necessarily. There are lots of different workshops and themes and topics that we’ll use, but we’re going to tailor it to the needs of the [SVSU].”
Read full story at the Bennington Banner.
(Fair use with written permission from the New England Newspapers Inc.)
They probably don’t need any more training in divisiveness. But keeping them out of the classroom awhile sounds like a good idea.