June 5, 2020
Dear CCSD21 Community Member,
Our entire country has been deeply impacted by the deaths of African American men and women as demonstrated by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the resulting protests and demonstrations in every state across our nation. We too have been deeply impacted by the events of the past weeks and recognize and embrace the role we must play in working towards a nation which lives up to its founding ideals of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and equal justice under the law.
The greatest strength of CCSD21 is the diversity of our students, families, and communities. Our students come from all races, cultures, and family environments. They each and every one strengthen our community and our nation and truly are the bright future of us all.
Now is the time for difficult and uncomfortable conversations. Now is the time to acknowledge our role as an institution of American public education in fostering and supporting those difficult and uncomfortable conversations in our classrooms, Board Rooms, and homes. We do not and cannot operate in a vacuum in public education, and these recent events demonstrate the need to engage our community in the proper path forward in an inclusive fashion.
As a district we want to assure everyone in our community that we’ll be working throughout our organization in the coming days and over the summer to gather quality resources that our teachers and families may use to engage in conversations of race, justice, equity, and equality in our nation and we look forward to working with all members of our community in building a more just and free society.
With Deep Respect,
Dr. Michael Connolly Mr. Phil Pritzker
Superintendent President, Board of Education
EMPOWERING EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY
