Students Protest: Too Many White Teachers

Hundreds of students at a mostly black and Latino charter school in Connecticut stormed the streets this week calling for the mostly white teaching staff to be diversified with more teachers of color.

“The idea was for everybody to wear white. All the leaders would wear black. To show there’s a lack of minority teachers in the school,” said one student.

The student protesters at Achievement First Amistad Charter High School rallied for faculty and staff to build an environment that attracts multi-ethnic teachers instead of driving them away, like the African-American front-office employee at the school who students claim is being pushed out because of her race. Minority students claim that under the current set-up, teachers exhibit favoritism and often take unreasonable disciplinary action against them. AF Associate Director of Communications Amanda Pinto told LifeZette the protest lasted until about 2 p.m.

One student protester said: “Growing up without a father figure, I always looked to find one inside the classroom. Unfortunately, not to sound rude, a Caucasian male would never be able to teach me how to live in a society that still looks down at the color of my skin.”

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Some of the students’ parents and other family members reportedly fueled the protest, bringing food and drinks for the students to keep them going. Other parents met with AF Regional Superintendent Jeff Sudmyer and echoed the need for a more diverse staff.

“I don’t completely disagree with you,” Sudmyer said in response to one parent pushing for more minority teachers. “We need to do a better job.” Sudmyer noted in New Haven Independent that many Connecticut schools have a low percentage of teachers of color, though “that’s not to make an excuse.” “We work really hard to have a diverse staff,” Sudmyer added.

Ninety-eight percent of AF’s 498 students are black or Latino, according to its website. By contrast, 27 percent of the staff members identify as being of color, which is a 6 percent bump up from 2013-14, New Haven Independent reported.

Achievement First co-CEO and President Dacia Toll said in a statement provided to LifeZette that they’re “proud” of the students for protesting. “We are a school that focuses on developing student leaders, and the rally is an example of their leadership — we are proud of our students for their activism, advocacy and voice. Network leaders met with students and families yesterday,” Toll said.

One female student held a sign that read, “#Black teachers matter.”

The student protesters reportedly rallied on the school’s football field, then flooded onto the streets, chanting, “What do we want? Diversity! When do we want it? Now! Now!” Some students held signs with messages about “strength” and making their voices “heard.” One female student held a sign that read, “#Black teachers matter.”

One student explained the strategizing that went into the rally, which lasted hours.

“We had this organized two weeks ago. The idea was for everybody to wear white. All the leaders would wear black. To show there’s a lack of minority teachers in the school,” a student told New Haven Independent. “We want more diversity. We want more representation of our student body.”

System administrators from New Haven made a special trip to meet with students when they got word of the protest. Five of the students leading the protest met with faculty in an effort to find middle ground.

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Pinto told LifeZette, “The meeting was positive. Students and leaders are looking forward to another upcoming meeting together on these issues, and AF Amistad High had a regular school day [on Wednesday].”

Some students remained charged in the fight for a more diverse teaching staff. One student said the administrators were “listening, but I don’t think they were actually hearing what we were saying.” Another student said it’s going to be a “long process of getting stuff done.”

Toll expressed in a statement that she welcomes a “continued discussion of their concerns. Staff diversity is a priority at AF Amistad High and across Achievement First, and we are proud of the progress we’ve made. We are also proud of our students and of our school.”