Nashville education leaders have a message for the city’s diverse population of students and their families: All are welcome, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
The board for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools on Friday released a statement pledging commitment to diversity in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as the nation’s next president.
“After an extremely divisive election season, we believe it is more important than ever to reiterate that this school board and this school system value diversity, and we believe students from different ethnic, religious, language, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds learn from, and inspire, each other,” reads the statement, based on a resolution and released by Chairwoman Anna Shepherd.
“We will remain focused, and we will redouble our commitments to diversity — from the classroom to the Central Office. Our resolve has never been stronger.”
With nearly 90,000 students, Metro Nashville is Tennessee’s second largest district and easily its most diverse. The school system has the state’s highest percentage of English language learners. About 30 percent can speak a language at home besides English, and about 1 percent are refugees who came to Nashville to seek safety, often from war-torn countries.
Nashville joins a growing chorus of districts nationwide that are planting their flags in the ground on the value of diversity in response to Trump’s anti-immigration platform.
However, Nashville’s resolution falls short of promising to protect the identities of students, family members and school staff — a pledge made earlier this week by the school board for Los Angeles Unified Schools.
During his campaign, Trump vowed to deport millions of immigrants, and school leaders are concerned about his administration’s access to data collected through the Obama administration for programs created to protect undocumented immigrants, including many students, from deportation.
In recent years, Nashville officials have touted the district’s growing diversity as one of its greatest assets.
Earlier this week, school counselors were briefed about how to support students experiencing heightened anxiety about being deported or bullied on the heels of the election. The district already offers legal services to its immigrant and refugee families, and partners with nonprofit organizations such as Conexión Américas for afterschool programming and other services for families new to the United States.
Here’s the school board’s statement in whole:
“Several of our friends in the Metro Council have invited the school board to join them in ensuring that Nashville remains a welcoming community. This week, the board articulated a new mission and vision statement, as well as core values and beliefs, for Metro Nashville Public Schools. After an extremely divisive election season, we believe it is more important than ever to reiterate that this school board and this school system value diversity, and we believe students from different ethnic, religious, language, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds learn from, and inspire, each other.
“In addition to the Council, Mayor Megan Barry has affirmed that she is committed to ensuring that Nashville is a warm and welcoming place for all of our citizens. So, too, are we committed to ensuring that all of our students and families feel welcome and safe at Metro Schools. As stewards of one of the most diverse school systems in America, my board colleagues and I proudly promote a caring environment for all of our 89,000 students, and we appreciate the steps that Dr. Shawn Joseph and his team are taking to discourage bullying and provide counseling to our kids in this uncertain time.
“The school board, and all 11,000 employees in Metro Schools, have one of the most important jobs in this city – educating our youth. We will remain focused, and we will redouble our commitments to diversity – from the classroom to the Central Office. Our resolve has never been stronger.”