# data[].attributes.body
Wants to listen; passionate about being apart of the conversation in anti-racism/analyzing TEKS; incorporating anti-racism work in our curriculum

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Wants to listen; always tried to listen as a volunteer over 30 years; how can we make things better in the school district?

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Interested in conversation

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Passionate about anti-racism and discussion; been in Pflugerville for 15 years

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10th year in education; trying to unlearn bad habits, learn freedom and justice; treating students equitably

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"I happen to really think that the hope for us and for humanity is in our classrooms and in our teachers' hands;" wants things more open to all children; spent career in education

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Virtual breaking down around pandemic, unsure of what's going on, wants some sense to be made of things

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Considers herself an anti-racist educator; wants to build community and start a movement

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Interested in the conversation and learning more; love how diverse this district is

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Been passionate about promoting anti-racist policies. "I think we can absolutely do more in Pflugerville to be both inclusive and work to empower our students of color."

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Be a voice for Dual Language students in district; "listen with those ears and look with those eyes"

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"The community being as diverse as it is is what has kept me here;" "Just being diverse isn't enough. We need to have the tools for the teachers to be able to teach equity."

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District is diverse, but teachers and school board are not diverse; is only Jewish teacher on her campus and has had experiences such as people touching her yamulke; has called for cultural diversity trainings for teachers, not just students; we need to empower Jewish, Hispanic, Black (representation of color) all around to empower students; need more teachers of color

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Anti-racism in curriculum is something that they are passionate about

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In solidarity with us, eager for conversation, grateful for what has brought us all here and eager to listen

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Elementary teacher in PfISD, also parent

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Elementary teacher in PfISD, also parent

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Educator originally from San Antonio in black and brown community; eager for ways to represent her culture and that be more accessible with students

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Always learning, always trying to be a better person; person of color and hope to add context in that way to conversation

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Grew up in Pflugerville; taught in Galveston during integration period; has been shaped by experiences in the past; eager to celebrate diversity; interested in triggering/sensitive vocabulary and learning; likes term "cultural awareness"

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Been in Pflugerville since 2007

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All kids raised in Pflugerville; been here since 1995 and teaching in PfISD for past 3 years

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Jean Mayer, PfISD Candidate, Running for Seat 6 for Board of Trustees

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Jean Mayer, PfISD Candidate, Running for Seat 6 for Board of Trustees

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Son with special needs; blended cultural family; small business owner for over a decade; passionate about diversity and group conversations; wants to listen to what concerns are in the district

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Over the past few months I have gotten more involved in what's going on at the district-level. In terms of equity, I don't feel like the community is being listened to or acknowledged. Don't feel heard.

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Over the past few months I have gotten more involved in what's going on at the district-level. In terms of equity, I don't feel like the community is being listened to or acknowledged. Don't feel heard.

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Not all of my students have access to internet. We are on day number 19, and kids do not have hot spots. Sitting in a car in a parking lot is hot and access is not equitable for them.

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Not all of my students have access to internet. We are on day number 19, and kids do not have hot spots. Sitting in a car in a parking lot is hot and access is not equitable for them.

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Trainings from the district on sensitivity/cultural awareness would be really important to have; need a place to have those conversations and our voices to be heard

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Trainings from the district on sensitivity/cultural awareness would be really important to have; need a place to have those conversations and our voices to be heard

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There is a gap in communication. There is a sense of, "Don't worry about that, we'll handle it," instead of, "Let's work together." The reaction is, "Don't point that out," or "It'll be figured out," and it never is (example: emailing families without hot spots). We need to be heard and be part of the conversation. We see this lack of equity on the ground - we can be advocates on the ground.

# data[].attributes.subject
There is a gap in communication. There is a sense of, "Don't worry about that, we'll handle it," instead of, "Let's work together." The reaction is, "Don't point that out," or "It'll be figured out," and it never is (example: emailing families without hot spots). We need to be heard and be part of the conversation. We see this lack of equity on the ground - we can be advocates on the ground.

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Wants to see diversity/cultural sensitivity trainings. "As a teacher of color in Pflugerville, I can tell you I don't feel it." When you look at numbers on a campus...I would like a from the Board some sense of oversight in the equity sense. Admin can change culture. I can take a lot as a Marine, but I feel disrespected and unheard when a campus has a culture of insensitivity. When a student says, "So-and-so is racist," and when they are ALL coming to you with that information, there is nowhere to go with it. "When you don't feel as a teacher on campus that your voice is heard, how do you then advocate properly for students?"

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Wants to see diversity/cultural sensitivity trainings. "As a teacher of color in Pflugerville, I can tell you I don't feel it." When you look at numbers on a campus...I would like a from the Board some sense of oversight in the equity sense. Admin can change culture. I can take a lot as a Marine, but I feel disrespected and unheard when a campus has a culture of insensitivity. When a student says, "So-and-so is racist," and when they are ALL coming to you with that information, there is nowhere to go with it. "When you don't feel as a teacher on campus that your voice is heard, how do you then advocate properly for students?"

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We've already purchased curriculum and we pay for it every year - it's called AVID; We have cultural relevancy training within AVID from day one from the students' point of view: If kids don't feel safe/represented... For most of my students, I am the first African American male outside of a coach they have had as a teacher. It starts with hiring. In a school with a large number of Hispanic students, we have no Hispanic male of record. It starts with hiring. Our Black teachers are put into a certain section of the school - is it coincidental? Even if it's not the intent, the perception and the optics are horrible. And if administration is racially insensitive, they can't see that until it's brought up. If you don't understand it, you need someone who does who is looking for issues such as this one.

# data[].attributes.subject
We've already purchased curriculum and we pay for it every year - it's called AVID; We have cultural relevancy training within AVID from day one from the students' point of view: If kids don't feel safe/represented... For most of my students, I am the first African American male outside of a coach they have had as a teacher. It starts with hiring. In a school with a large number of Hispanic students, we have no Hispanic male of record. It starts with hiring. Our Black teachers are put into a certain section of the school - is it coincidental? Even if it's not the intent, the perception and the optics are horrible. And if administration is racially insensitive, they can't see that until it's brought up. If you don't understand it, you need someone who does who is looking for issues such as this one.

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I can tell you when communicated up, it is diffused as in, "We will look into this." It's a tap dance. We've seen it before. I tried having a courageous conversation about it over Zoom, and the person on the other end didn't turn on their camera - that doesn't show respect. You don't feel like your avenues are there even if they are there because you've been slapped down.

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I can tell you when communicated up, it is diffused as in, "We will look into this." It's a tap dance. We've seen it before. I tried having a courageous conversation about it over Zoom, and the person on the other end didn't turn on their camera - that doesn't show respect. You don't feel like your avenues are there even if they are there because you've been slapped down.

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We had an outstanding diversity workshop around 10 years ago (that is when I learned about the Tulsa Massacre). Our responsibility to society, something simple that is not being done (even if people say it's being done) is teaching this history in our social studies classes. We are not teaching systemic racism in politics/government/history.

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We had an outstanding diversity workshop around 10 years ago (that is when I learned about the Tulsa Massacre). Our responsibility to society, something simple that is not being done (even if people say it's being done) is teaching this history in our social studies classes. We are not teaching systemic racism in politics/government/history.

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On July 8th, Pflugerville Educator Association emailed the Superintendent, the Deputy Superintendent, and the Chief Academic Innovation Officer offering to pay for cultural competence training, social justice training, and diversity training. There still to this day has not been a response. In other districts there are cultural diversity committees and boards. This has been brought up to people in power as ideas before and been ignored. This is done in surrounding districts and can be done here.

# data[].attributes.subject
On July 8th, Pflugerville Educator Association emailed the Superintendent, the Deputy Superintendent, and the Chief Academic Innovation Officer offering to pay for cultural competence training, social justice training, and diversity training. There still to this day has not been a response. In other districts there are cultural diversity committees and boards. This has been brought up to people in power as ideas before and been ignored. This is done in surrounding districts and can be done here.

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I want to share an experience from my first year of teaching. I have heard a lot of things and am not easily offended, but a racial interaction between two of my 4th grade students made me deeply concerned. I brought it to admin and explained what I would like to have happen, and they said if it wasn't physical they weren't going to worry about it. It made me not want to bring up concerns again. Ultimately the parents stepped in, and then something happened, but it shouldn't take a parent stepping in for action to be taken. What kind of message does that send to teachers? In elementary we teach Second Step, our social-emotional learning curriculum for the kids, but we don't have training or curriculum that is relevant in discussing cultural differences and relevancy. 

# data[].attributes.subject
I want to share an experience from my first year of teaching. I have heard a lot of things and am not easily offended, but a racial interaction between two of my 4th grade students made me deeply concerned. I brought it to admin and explained what I would like to have happen, and they said if it wasn't physical they weren't going to worry about it. It made me not want to bring up concerns again. Ultimately the parents stepped in, and then something happened, but it shouldn't take a parent stepping in for action to be taken. What kind of message does that send to teachers? In elementary we teach Second Step, our social-emotional learning curriculum for the kids, but we don't have training or curriculum that is relevant in discussing cultural differences and relevancy. 

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We need an equity officer yesterday. We need an equity office immediately. That really is the lowest bar. I also reached out about a town hall - we've had none in PfISD - and I actually offered to organize it. But we were encouraged to go to the "Let's Talk" feature, and that's not is not enough. We can't just go through "Let's Talk" for everything. I feel like everything I send in "Let's Talk" goes into the abyss and never comes back. When I offered t use my summer to organize a town hall, I would think y'all would jump on that.

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We need an equity officer yesterday. We need an equity office immediately. That really is the lowest bar. I also reached out about a town hall - we've had none in PfISD - and I actually offered to organize it. But we were encouraged to go to the "Let's Talk" feature, and that's not is not enough. We can't just go through "Let's Talk" for everything. I feel like everything I send in "Let's Talk" goes into the abyss and never comes back. When I offered t use my summer to organize a town hall, I would think y'all would jump on that.

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Let’s talk messages have been returned to principals on campuses to answer. That may be due to the nature of the question, but that has been my experience.

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Let’s talk messages have been returned to principals on campuses to answer. That may be due to the nature of the question, but that has been my experience.

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It's not the place of people of color to always teach and be the source of education. There are plenty of resources. People can do the work to do that. One year in one of my districts all teachers had to read a particular book and we talked about it all year during our PD. If you want to do something like that, do something like that. Make it a strategic thing. Saying, "We don't know where to start" takes the ownership off of yourselves when there are so many resources out there, even though I do understand that you want to be sensitive and say the right thing. But actions on your part too will help people want to meet you in the middle.

# data[].attributes.subject
It's not the place of people of color to always teach and be the source of education. There are plenty of resources. People can do the work to do that. One year in one of my districts all teachers had to read a particular book and we talked about it all year during our PD. If you want to do something like that, do something like that. Make it a strategic thing. Saying, "We don't know where to start" takes the ownership off of yourselves when there are so many resources out there, even though I do understand that you want to be sensitive and say the right thing. But actions on your part too will help people want to meet you in the middle.

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I love my campus and community, and I have never felt acutely taken advantage of because of my race. But I know some teachers are not given students  of color with behavior issues because they know that some black students will not be served well by certain white teachers. We know it, but instead of challenging that white teacher to be better, we funnel students into classrooms with teachers who would better meet their needs. That's messed up. We don't raise the bar for teachers, and it sets unhealthy patterns. We burn out effective teachers because they're always getting the students who need the most support.

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I love my campus and community, and I have never felt acutely taken advantage of because of my race. But I know some teachers are not given students  of color with behavior issues because they know that some black students will not be served well by certain white teachers. We know it, but instead of challenging that white teacher to be better, we funnel students into classrooms with teachers who would better meet their needs. That's messed up. We don't raise the bar for teachers, and it sets unhealthy patterns. We burn out effective teachers because they're always getting the students who need the most support.

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I know you can have special unity/diversity events with MLK and Chinese New Year which is wonderful. How do we increase these celebrations of culture? How do we support parents in PTOs and Boosters? How do we support these groups in their efforts? - Trustee Mott

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I am proud of all the opportunities people in our district have to be involved in our community. I am privileged to be a fluent Spanish speaker and a fluent English speaker. I feel very comfortable navigating both of these worlds. Just now in our conversation, I had to step away because I had a parent call me because she was worried she can't complete the Seesaw items because the art, music, and gym teachers don't speak Spanish, and they posted their items in English, and she doesn't know how to communicate with them. Just be open to the idea that some people might not be open to participating in the opportunities that are available because they're not comfortable. Because it can be very intimidating for people coming from different cultures and different languages to navigate worlds that are unknown to them. That doesn't mean they do not care, and that doesn't mean they don't have things to say.

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I am proud of all the opportunities people in our district have to be involved in our community. I am privileged to be a fluent Spanish speaker and a fluent English speaker. I feel very comfortable navigating both of these worlds. Just now in our conversation, I had to step away because I had a parent call me because she was worried she can't complete the Seesaw items because the art, music, and gym teachers don't speak Spanish, and they posted their items in English, and she doesn't know how to communicate with them. Just be open to the idea that some people might not be open to participating in the opportunities that are available because they're not comfortable. Because it can be very intimidating for people coming from different cultures and different languages to navigate worlds that are unknown to them. That doesn't mean they do not care, and that doesn't mean they don't have things to say.

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We are going to the principals. We need cultural training with the teachers. Culture is more than events, much more than what you see on the surface. It's deeper than that. We need the adults and kids to understand and embrace that it's okay to be different and not be afraid of that. When a teacher asks for cultural sensitivity training to the principal and it's going no where... I am not trying to do this for me. Its about making all the students feel like they are empowered. We need training for all the teachers, whether they're white, black, or Hispanic, etc. We all need to learn about everyone else's cultures so that we can empower our students. Also, I did the restorative justice training you mentioned and it is very important our African American students do not get disciplined five times more (I don't know the exact statistic) than students of other ethnicities. It's all very important, but it starts from the top down. When the Superintendent can say a parable with reference to a noose in it... No one needs to be taught that that is not okay to say in a public form to teachers. We are not respected by the Board. We are belittled. We are talked down to. We have teachers who are leaving because their ADA is being denied even though they have a medical reason because they're the only teacher on campus. That is not okay. 

# data[].attributes.subject
We are going to the principals. We need cultural training with the teachers. Culture is more than events, much more than what you see on the surface. It's deeper than that. We need the adults and kids to understand and embrace that it's okay to be different and not be afraid of that. When a teacher asks for cultural sensitivity training to the principal and it's going no where... I am not trying to do this for me. Its about making all the students feel like they are empowered. We need training for all the teachers, whether they're white, black, or Hispanic, etc. We all need to learn about everyone else's cultures so that we can empower our students. Also, I did the restorative justice training you mentioned and it is very important our African American students do not get disciplined five times more (I don't know the exact statistic) than students of other ethnicities. It's all very important, but it starts from the top down. When the Superintendent can say a parable with reference to a noose in it... No one needs to be taught that that is not okay to say in a public form to teachers. We are not respected by the Board. We are belittled. We are talked down to. We have teachers who are leaving because their ADA is being denied even though they have a medical reason because they're the only teacher on campus. That is not okay. 

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Teaching our students about different histories and different cultures needs to be part of the curriculum and not a one-off thing. It should be a permanent part of our teaching philosophy.

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Teaching our students about different histories and different cultures needs to be part of the curriculum and not a one-off thing. It should be a permanent part of our teaching philosophy.

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The minority teacher tax is real. As a teacher, I've had four mentees that nobody else wanted because I was the marine that had discipline. Well why doesn't everyone have discipline? I have to reach my black students, my Muslim students, my Hispanic students, etc. Is it too much to ask that my white colleagues also have to reach the same kids out there? Also, in principalship we teach a lot about how to manage a building, how to not get sued, how to balance a budget, but at no point is information shared on how to lead people. You have to respect the professionals that you hire. But I can understand if you are putting people in positions of power who don't have the training necessary to lead people, to be culturally relevant. I got to teach kids the way I know how to teach kids because I'm effective. 

# data[].attributes.subject
The minority teacher tax is real. As a teacher, I've had four mentees that nobody else wanted because I was the marine that had discipline. Well why doesn't everyone have discipline? I have to reach my black students, my Muslim students, my Hispanic students, etc. Is it too much to ask that my white colleagues also have to reach the same kids out there? Also, in principalship we teach a lot about how to manage a building, how to not get sued, how to balance a budget, but at no point is information shared on how to lead people. You have to respect the professionals that you hire. But I can understand if you are putting people in positions of power who don't have the training necessary to lead people, to be culturally relevant. I got to teach kids the way I know how to teach kids because I'm effective. 

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It's astounding to me that we're still having these conversations. We are a society that can't face that we are racist.

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It's astounding to me that we're still having these conversations. We are a society that can't face that we are racist.

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I am speaking for someone else who does not feel comfortable speaking up. African American teacher definitely thinks this district has a racial problem. For instance, she had taught elementary for a long time. She wanted to move up to middle school, but she was only offered Dessau and Westview. This has also happened to other African American teachers. The teacher felt like she would never be offered a position on the other side of town.

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I am speaking for someone else who does not feel comfortable speaking up. African American teacher definitely thinks this district has a racial problem. For instance, she had taught elementary for a long time. She wanted to move up to middle school, but she was only offered Dessau and Westview. This has also happened to other African American teachers. The teacher felt like she would never be offered a position on the other side of town.

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Other actionable steps: our district leaders saying out loud "Black Lives Matter" and that being reflected in our curriculum that was just updated this summer. We're social justice oriented in my school. Our principal is gung-ho; she's in it. But there is fear about what might come down on us. That is the dialogue.

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I worked across the hall from an African American teacher last year, and it was shocking. We could teach the same AVID lessons on the same day, and I would get great reviews when nothing positive was said to my colleague. This happened all year long. Our students are as diverse as any other school in our district, but we have too many white women teaching on our campus. We need more diverse teachers. When we hired 16 new teachers this summer, and 14 of them were white, blonde females- that's insane. If you came to an open house at our school, all you would see is white women (because the black teachers have been segregated to small rooms with no windows). When I got to this district in 2005, we had great diversity training. We had great programs in place. Somehow that's been lost, and we need to get back to it.

# data[].attributes.subject
I worked across the hall from an African American teacher last year, and it was shocking. We could teach the same AVID lessons on the same day, and I would get great reviews when nothing positive was said to my colleague. This happened all year long. Our students are as diverse as any other school in our district, but we have too many white women teaching on our campus. We need more diverse teachers. When we hired 16 new teachers this summer, and 14 of them were white, blonde females- that's insane. If you came to an open house at our school, all you would see is white women (because the black teachers have been segregated to small rooms with no windows). When I got to this district in 2005, we had great diversity training. We had great programs in place. Somehow that's been lost, and we need to get back to it.

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I grew up in a very poor district, to the point where every student got free breakfast and lunch. We didn't have access to half the things students have in PfISD. Just because I look Hispanic and my name is Hispanic, administrators and higher ups think they can approach me in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish. I am taking it upon myself to learn it for my students, for the parents I have that do not speak English. I am working to the bone for my kids, but I am not seeing that from the top. When we do one day of celebrating a culture, that does nothing to promote that we are inclusive of all cultures. And I get those students with behavioral issues because I'm a little rough around the edges. I'm a third year teacher, and I'm feeling burned out. When I applied in this district, I put in 50 applications, and I got one callback. And the one callback was from a Title I school. I'll be forever grateful for that principal who gave me that opportunity, but believe me, I had to jump through hoops in order to get hired. It shouldn't be that difficult for a person of color to get a job in this district, and I think that speaks a lot to our hiring practices as well.

# data[].attributes.subject
I grew up in a very poor district, to the point where every student got free breakfast and lunch. We didn't have access to half the things students have in PfISD. Just because I look Hispanic and my name is Hispanic, administrators and higher ups think they can approach me in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish. I am taking it upon myself to learn it for my students, for the parents I have that do not speak English. I am working to the bone for my kids, but I am not seeing that from the top. When we do one day of celebrating a culture, that does nothing to promote that we are inclusive of all cultures. And I get those students with behavioral issues because I'm a little rough around the edges. I'm a third year teacher, and I'm feeling burned out. When I applied in this district, I put in 50 applications, and I got one callback. And the one callback was from a Title I school. I'll be forever grateful for that principal who gave me that opportunity, but believe me, I had to jump through hoops in order to get hired. It shouldn't be that difficult for a person of color to get a job in this district, and I think that speaks a lot to our hiring practices as well.

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I would like to highlight the fact that I believe my campus is decently diverse, but I would also push to say that having anti-black beliefs or anti-poverty beliefs within cultures of diversity...people that are not white can be problematic as well. So just because a school might look diverse does not make it so. Parents are looked at through a lens of "what do they have to offer?" Let's not just tick the boxes. What are you doing to try and promote a culture that's not predominately white in your institutions? 

# data[].attributes.subject
I would like to highlight the fact that I believe my campus is decently diverse, but I would also push to say that having anti-black beliefs or anti-poverty beliefs within cultures of diversity...people that are not white can be problematic as well. So just because a school might look diverse does not make it so. Parents are looked at through a lens of "what do they have to offer?" Let's not just tick the boxes. What are you doing to try and promote a culture that's not predominately white in your institutions? 