Morris School District introduces anti-racist policy after year of social justice demands

MORRISTOWN — On the heels of its pledge to promote social justice, the Morris School District has introduced an anti-racist policy intended to "guide the district for years to come."

Board of Education members on Monday introduced the policy, which aims to "facilitate, oversee and continuously improve" anti-racism efforts throughout Morris schools. It is designed to continue the efforts of the district's Equity and Inclusion Action Plan and update the school curriculum. 

"I think that it's a policy. A policy expresses values, a framework that guides us and gives direction," Superintendent Mackey Pendergrast said during the virtual board meeting. "This is not an action plan but what an action plan should be based on. A policy guides, and it will be guiding the district for years to come."

In the policy, the district commits to "dismantling racism in all of its forms — whether systemic practices or individual acts of prejudice, whether intentional or unconscious biases." It also includes a commitment to eliminate "barriers to equity and inclusion" and seeks to empower all students through equal access to education. Last year, school officials conducted an equity inclusion survey for students from grades six to 12, which helped formulate the new policy, officials said. 

Pendergrast said the results from that survey were analyzed by teachers, staff and administration to better understand students and their needs. District surveys suggest students want to engage in "difficult" conversations about race, he said. 

"It took about two months' worth of work, and it was really meaningful," Pendergrast said. "We're lucky to have teachers who work authentically to understand kids and the experiences in front of them."

In November, the district passed an "anti-racist school district" pledge, which required, via policy, that district schools review curriculum and resources through an anti-racist and social justice lens. The pledge is also to "view all matters through an anti-racist lens" to fix "any gaps" in the district's mission and support policies that promote racial equity.

"This is not a touchdown — just another really important step along the path of us trying to be anti-racist. Because it's a never-ending goal," said board member Melissa Spiotta. 

After the death of George Floyd and amid the nation's reckoning with race, students, residents and activists held protests to demand anti-racism training and more diversity in school curriculums. They also demanded that racism be dismantled and inclusion in local schools be promoted. In Morris County, Black Lives Matter Morristown and Wind of the Spirit held "a summer of action" to protest racial inequality in Morris County.

During a Black Lives Matter Morristown "teach-in" last summer, Morristown High School alumni and current students spoke out about their racist experiences in the district. 

"The first time I experienced racism was in elementary school when somebody called me the N-word on the bus," said Brandon Drayton, a 2013 graduate of Morristown High School. "When people tell you at a young age that something is wrong with you, you start to see how things aren't really meant for you in this world. You start to believe that you aren't good enough, and have to conform."

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Last year, Morristown-Beard graduate and former Cornell football recruit Nate Panza was caught on camera using a racial slur. In Randolph, a high school junior said she received "hateful, racist comments" online after posting a video expressing her opinions on the Black Lives Matter movement. The comments were under investigation by Randolph police. In Rockaway, a PTA president-elect was asked to step down after the school district was alerted to her "disturbing social media posts."

"This work in itself is extraordinarily valuable, and we’re all learning," Pendergrast said. "But we know we need to continue to move with urgency. I think we’re all very proud to keep working."

Morristown had one of the first segregated schools in the United States. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1971 Jenkins decision, a New Jersey Supreme Court case in public school integration that created the Morris School District. At the time of the ruling, there were some who feared that a merger of the two districts would result in “white flight,” leaving Morristown High School made up mostly of Black students and causing the potential creation of a separate high school in Morris Township.

In the wake of its anniversary, the school district is "committed to partnering with all members of our community to accomplish the critical work of antiracism," the policy read. 

Jessie Gomez is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com and NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: jgomez@gannettnj.com

Twitter: @jessiereport