TNCA's Statement of Commitment, Action, and Solidarity
The New Classical Academy’s
Statement of Commitment, Action, and Solidarity
In light of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many more people of color who are wrongfully brutalized, we feel we must emphatically state that Black Lives Matter. We acknowledge that we have been complicit in institutional and social order that allowed these anti-Black and oppressive conditions to persist. As a largely homogenous group, we also recognize that we must confront our own biases and internalized beliefs that may prevent us from challenging systems of oppression. We have work to do.
The New Classical Academy is committed to creating equitable and socially-just spaces for our students, staff, and faculty. In our mission, we state that we strive “to make academic success attainable for all students and to produce independent thinkers prepared for meaningful participation in their world.” We continue to remain committed to the philosophy that The New Classical Academy is “dedicated to providing a nurturing and inclusive educational opportunity for every child, from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, who has a desire to learn.”
Our three-year goals are grounded in the belief that:
Inclusivity must include conscious efforts to involve all people, including those who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized by a majority group, to continue to ensure an understanding of and appreciation for the diverse perspectives and identities of our students, staff, and members of the communities we serve. This includes spaces (physical and theoretical) designed to include all individuals.
We recognize that we must do more to challenge and disrupt inequity
in order for systemic change to happen.
To that end, we recommit ourselves to anti-racist and anti-oppressive efforts, and commit to the following actions, effective immediately:
Employ in our curriculum more diverse materials written by POC or minority groups as applicable in the academic grade level.
Perform anti-bias audits of course materials, assignments, and teaching practices at a minimum of every 4 years as our curriculum rotates.
Provide appropriate anti-bias training and workshops to staff through the administration.
Annually participate in anti-racist training offered both locally and virtually.
Compile anti-oppressive resources for teachers and students.
Diversify the Board of Directors when applicable.
Create reading and discussion groups for our middle school students to learn more about anti-racism and privilege, including adding to the Middle School Workshop seminars dedicated to conversations on race, social justice, and confronting bias.
Create an elementary school ongoing conversation about biases, race, and privilege in an age-appropriate way during afternoon activities and build a bridge to connect this conversation to the middle schooler.
Continue to engage in community-building that strives to de-center Whiteness as the norm.
Continue to provide local outreach that is focused on dismantling systemic oppression.
Continue to ensure that no child’s education in our community is conditional, based on access to transportation, the ability to provide lunches, uniforms, or other necessities, or access to outside academic support such as testing and tutoring.
The teachers and staff at The New Classical Academy recognize that no human is deserving of lesser treatment due to the color of their skin. We recognize that hundreds of years of oppression have left our nation divided under a single narrative of some lives being lesser than others. We will do more than use empty rhetoric to make tangible changes. Instead, we will confront our discomfort and ask our families, students, teachers, and staff to do the same.