SMCOE Issues ‘Call To Action’ In Response To Recent Events

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA – The county’s Office of Education issued a statement Tuesday addressing recent events and condemning racism amid ongoing protests over the killing of George Floyd.

Floyd died after a disgraced Minneapolis police officer who has since been fired kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes as three other police officers stood by idly.

Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers have not as of yet been charged.

Superintendent Nancy Magee and Board of Education President Hector Camacho Jr. said in a statement on behalf of the SMCOE that they stood “with our county, state and nation in grieving the recent tragic killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minnesota, in addition to the thousands of others who have been killed in like manner.”

They said their statement was a “call to action.”

“We ask the San Mateo County education community to join us, standing in active solidarity with our colleagues and families experiencing and living the current trauma,” the statement read. “Together we have a powerful voice, and as educators of the county’s children we have both the opportunity and responsibility to doggedly seek change on behalf of our students.

“In this call to action, we take responsibility for educating ourselves and others about the structures that perpetuate racism and oppression so we can work to change them. We will read, listen, and learn from those who have experienced these tragedies and who live with the fear and pain of racism every day. We will put that learning into action as we re-evaluate how we teach, what we teach, and even how we conduct and finance schools. We will be intentional in rebuilding an education system that has harmed so many of our students for so many years. And, to be clear, yes, our education system must change.”

Magee and Camacho said the SMCOE affirmed its commitment to equality for “every student, every teacher, every school.”

“We deeply understand that the cornerstone of a just and equitable society is a quality education that allows students to fully engage in relevant curriculum that reflects their lives and histories. Closing opportunity and access gaps is our moral imperative when we know that a quality education is the key to improving outcomes for so many children and families.

“To accomplish this goal, we need to engage in open and honest conversations about racism in America and adjust our policies and spending priorities. Together let us find strength in our shared humanity and invest our best selves in our children’s future.”