“As an educator and native Kentuckian, I (along with many others in the state) have been shaken over the death of Breonna Taylor, who not too long ago graduated from Western High School in Louisville and was working to build a career and life serving others as a health care worker.
“I wholeheartedly support the Kentucky Board of Education’s pledge of commitment to racial equity and anti-racism in our schools. I share their belief that we must provide a high-quality education for all of the children in our Commonwealth, especially our students of color. I want to assure you that the Kentucky Department of Education is committed to helping our schools and districts serve students equitably, work toward more inclusive schools and to help our students and educators learn how to support students dealing with racial trauma.
“Today, Team KDE employees participated in our third implicit bias training with Eastern Kentucky University’s Dr. Roger Cleveland. We must all continue to have deeper conversations about bias and how it can be hurting our co-workers, students and their families.
“Our collective goal is for students to graduate prepared to successfully navigate our complicated world. To do that, we must change the lens through which we see so that we understand and also act to overcome the challenges our students face.
“Access to a quality education is a way that students can acquire the skills necessary to pursue their vision of a successful life. For the Commonwealth’s education system to truly be excellent, we must all work to ensure this access to a quality education is available to all students, especially our students of color.
“We have a moral obligation to our children to engage in this difficult and emotional work and to do better than we have in the past. We will continue collaborating with Kentucky’s school districts to overcome systemic inequity and racism our students often face. We call upon our communities to join us in supporting this important and necessary work ahead.”
Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.
Commissioner and Chief Learner
Kentucky Department of Education
Leave A Comment