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Dear Black people: Black children are gonna be alright
Since March 13 we’ve all had to adapt to new routines, systems, and relationships in the wake of COVID-19 which will weigh on us for years and will be felt in all of the places and spaces we occupy. Many of you are taking care of your families with reduced or no income, figuring out how to stay in your homes, and trying to manage emergency isolation schooling with your children. I want to acknowledge the fear, chaos, and disproportionate illness, loss, and grief that Black people are experiencing at this time.
Click the link below to read more on the OPEN Blog.
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Black Education Matters
Join OPEN and Citizen SHE United on Juneteenth (Friday, June 19th) for a different conversation about education centered in the excellence of Black children- their gifts, resources and capabilities. We will spend the day with students, policymakers, researchers, educators, activists, organizers, and culture bearers focusing on how to create just, equitable school systems and liberating learning sites focused on what’s best in Black children. Click the link below to register
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Defund NOPD: Rally + NOPD City Council Hearing TOMORROW!
Join Orleans Parish Police Reform Coalition for an in-person rally ahead of the City Council hearing to demand that councilmembers hold NOPD accountable for their use of tear gas on peaceful protesters while stating our demands to Defund NOPD and instead use funds for programs and services that keep New Orleanians safer.
Review the #8toAbolition platform for an understanding of our localized demands here.
Submit Public Comments to City Council here.
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Due to COVID-19, the new Emergency Election Plan now allows more Louisianians to vote by mail for our July 11 election. Applying to vote by mail is easy! Just follow these 3 easy steps:
- Print the application and mail it to City Hall or the Algiers Courthouse before July 7.
- Your ballot will arrive in the mail for you to complete.
- You then have until 4:30 PM on the day before election day to return it!
Click the link below to request your absentee ballot.
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Step Up for Back Lives March Saturday
Join StepUp Louisiana for a march and protest as we Step Up for Black Lives. Demand that we invest in good jobs and good schools so that our people can have the freedom to thrive.To volunteer and help organize email info@stepuplouisiana.org. For more information, click the link below.
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Stand in Solidarity with Sanitation Workers
Join alongside the City Waste Union sanitation workers that have been on strike since early May.
Their demands are simple, reasonable, and fair:
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Provide PPE to all workers immediately and consistently
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Fix broken trucks that leak toxic hydraulic fluid on workers
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Provide an hourly pay rate of at least $15 per hour
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Provide weekly hazard pay of $150 per week.
Click the link below to sign on.
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Add Your Name — #VETOSB189
Senate Bill 189, which would gut more than $50 million from our city's CARES Act allotment, has passed our state legislature and is sitting on our governor's desk. The recovery of New Orleans is at a serious crossroads right now. Congress passed the CARES Act because they knew local governments needed the resources to fully-fund basic essential services like fire and police protection and trash pickup. Click the link below to ask John Bel Edwards to veto SB189.
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More Bills to Veto
House Bill 140
This bill would prohibit local officials from keeping guns out of public buildings with youth recreation activities where children and communities gather. It will strip mayors and police chiefs from making public safety decisions that are best for their communities and could impose new security costs on cities and parishes at a time they can least afford it.
House Bill 842
This bill unsustainably and unnecessarily funds the New Orleans Criminal District Court by squeezing money from the most economically vulnerable people. In 2018, the federal courts ruled the New Orleans Criminal District Court’s practices around setting fines and fees unconstitutional. This bill is a dodge for the court to get around that ruling.
House Bill 197
This bill would criminalize free speech by making peaceful protest punishable by 3-15 years of imprisonment and “hard labor.” There is already a similar, less punitive measure in place, which was also unnecessary. This bill simply compounds the injustice.
House Bill 438
This bill would make it easier to hold people in contempt of court for their inability to pay child support, representing the further criminalization of poor folks in Louisiana.
Please contact the Governor’s office at (225) 342-0991 or (844) 860- 1413 OR Send an e-mail HERE.
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Report on COVID-19 Teacher Impact and Need
The New Orleans Trauma-Informed Schools Learning Collaborative (NO-TIS LC) is happy to share our Report on Covid-19 Teacher Impacts and Needs. We conducted a needs assessment to help inform educational policy and the development of resources to address teacher impact and need related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey was open from April 30 to May 15, 2020. The primary goals of this needs assessment were to:
- Understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on teachers, their school community, and their teaching.
- Learn directly from teachers about immediate needs to support their well-being and remote instruction and longer-term needs to prepare for school re-openings and possible re-closings in the future.
Click here to view the report findings.
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Rename Streets for Local Heroes with #StreetSignsMatter
#StreetSignsMatter is a movement to erase New Orleans streets of figures in history who fought to enslave an oppress black people. Sign petitions and learn more about the movement here.
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NOLA Public Schools Virtual Meetings
NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Lewis' contract renewed an extra year, some charters are approved, others won't get started. Check out the meeting documents here.
NOLA Public Schools will hold the following meetings in the month of June:
- Public Hearing & Board Meeting, June 11
The public may participate via Zoom video conference.
Click the link below for information on live stream and/or teleconference.
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Artwork by Octavio Logo
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How We Talk About the Achievement Gap Could Worsen Public Racial Biases Against Black Students
By the most recent count, 4 out of 5 black students graduate in four years with a regular diploma, according to federal figures. But after watching coverage of test scores focused on racial achievement gaps between black and white students, people tend to think black students' graduation rates are much lower. The way the education media and policymakers frame education debates can have longer-term effects on how the public thinks about black students and the kinds of policies it will support to improve their learning. Read the full article here.
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15 Classroom Resources for Discussing Racism, Policing, and Protest
As nationwide protests against police brutality continue, teachers in their virtual classrooms are once again searching for ways to help their students process the killings of black people in police custody in the United States. Read the full article here.
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How to Root Out Anti-Black Racism From Your School
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Teachers Cannot Be Silent': How Educators Are Showing Up for Black Students Following Protests
Teachers, already struggling to reach students during the coronavirus pandemic, are now searching for ways to help them work through their feelings about the protests and the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other unarmed black men and women—without being with their students in person. Read the full story here.
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Survey finds racial disparities in how New Orleans students view schools, teachers, and police
The Education Research Alliance for New Orleans has released the results of its first-ever citywide survey of students in New Orleans, the only all-charter school district in America. At a time when the U.S. is experiencing a deep national reckoning with racial inequality, the "Voices of New Orleans Youth" report finds that there are many disparities in how students of different races view their teachers, schools, and neighborhood experiences, including safety in the presence of police. View the report here.
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Louisiana Extends P-EBT Application Deadline to June 15, Announces Slight Delay in Some Mailed Benefits
The Louisiana Department of Education and the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) announced the deadline for families to apply for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program has been extended to June 15.
To read the full release, click here.
To access for the P-EBT Program application, click here.
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Mayor Cantrell Receives Approval for $35M for Affordable Housing
Shout out to housing justice advocates GNOHA and the Fair Housing Action Center for their work in making this possible.
City Council approved Mayor LaToya Cantrell's request for $35 million to be added to the 2020 budget for COVID-19 response and affordable housing in New Orleans. The ordinances appropriate funding from the State and Federal government to the Mayor’s Office of Community Development. Read the full release here.
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City of New Orleans Announces Mass Feeding Program
The City of New Orleans has announced the mobilization of the Mass Feeding Program, a cost-sharing collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency totaling $18 million to fulfill a basic human need as part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This first-of-its-kind program will provide meals to a range of vulnerable residents, including high-risk health adults, residents with special medical needs, homeless residents, homebound seniors, and families with children 18 and under who are not receiving other federally supported food assistance. Read the full release here.
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Events & Job Opportunities
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Lycee Francais 2020-2021 English Language Arts Teacher (Prek-2nd)
The English Language Arts teacher is responsible for creating a classroom environment that develops in each student the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing that are fundamental to literate citizenship
For more information or to apply, click here.
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