2) 7% of the 4 million teachers in The United States are Black, while Black girls make up 16% of the population. How could the lack of Black female teachers impact how Black girls are perceived in school?

3) Do you think schools should have police officers working in them? Explain why or why not (your opinion)

4) Why do we have such a large amount of Black girls who are at risk for suicide? How can we better support their mental health in schools?

5) How is adultification shown with how adults interact with Black girls? How is this idea reinforced by popular culture (films, movies, shows, advertising, etc)

6) How can schools make Black girls feel more valued? Give one example.

7) What is the first step schools should take to address the issue of criminalizing Black girls?

2) At the beginning of the film the staff visit homes of nearly 500 incoming students, was this helpful, if so how? Should more schools do this? Why or why not?

3) In the film we see families struggling with home insecurity. How did the school step up to support those children?

4) In the U.S. Black children are suspended from school 3 times more than their White peers. Why do you think this happens? How do you think Laney decreased suspension rates by over 90%?

5) We see a lot of stress around standardized testing, but what are others ways we see learning in the documentary?

6) What stood out to you about principal Friestleben?

7) How does the outside community/neighborhood impact the safety of the school?

8) What stood out to you most from this film that features one of our own elementary schools here in MPS?

2)The lack of black teachers can impact girls because they don't have proper role models or teachers who don't have biases against them which results in them being violent.

3)I don't think schools should have police officers but rather deens because police officers' focus isn't on educating and disciplining students, but on stopping violence even if that means hurting someone in the process.

4)We have a large number of black girls who are at risk for suicide because they are neglected and mentally abused for just being themselves. We can better support them by having more black teachers and social workers whom they can rely on when having trouble.

5) Adultification is shown when black girls are treated as if they are grown just because of how they look or act. I don't know how these ideas are reinforced by popular culture.

6)I think schools can make black girls feel more valued by teaching them about their heritage and encouraging them to embrace their true identity.

7)I think the first step they can take is bringing in black female social workers and teachers to make them feel more comfortable.

2) I feel like not having many black teachers especially women effects (young) black girls because they need a teacher or just a worker at they're schools to help navigate them and I feel like they would learn a lot more and the correct things and actually want to listen.

3) I think they should but only ones who can actually serve and protect just like the police system should. its not right having police officers and they aren't fair nor protecting and serving.

4) We have a lot of black girls that are at risk for suicide because of the way they get treated and that the beauty standards are light skin, blue eyes, light hair, and thin lips.

5) I feel like there is a lot of adultification with black girls by they're mothers trying to have them take care of their siblings and the house etc. Also a lot of black girls grow fast and older creepy men and people in general will not think and just hit on them and sometimes even further.

6) Schools can make black girls feel more valued by having classes for just them, by not having beauty standards because everyone is beautiful in they're own ways, and to include black girls more.

7) To take a step back and to realize what they are really doing to black girls and how it makes them feel. They need to realize that it is not okay and they need to be stopped.

2) If schools lack black female teachers that could cause young black female students to be precieved different for example if they don't see role models in professional positions like a teacher it could cause students to think that they cant reach those positions.

3) No i don't think so because i think a school should be safe and we shouldn't need police in the first place. Also it causes students to be more aware and a bigger chance of there being violence between police and students.

4) Because black girls tend to face a lot of discrimination. More than white girls. Also because they develop at a earlier age that can cause for teachers and other students to view them as different and also teachers tend to be scared of their students sometimes which could cause teachers a hard time to defend them in different scenerios.

5) Adultification is a common thing for young black girls to expirience because they tend to develope earlier and society tend to give adult roles to them just because of this.

6) Schools can gove black girls more valued by increasing the amount of black female teacher, also by creating groups specifically for black girls so they can talk about these issues and know that they arent alone.

7) bring more awareness to the issue. Because i didnt know about this issue until now and i feel like it important, especially for schools to bring it up.

The lack of Black female teachers can lead to a lack of representation and understanding, exacerbating disparities in disciplinary actions and academic outcomes for Black girls.

Regarding police officers in schools, prioritizing alternative safety approaches like restorative justice and mental health support is crucial to avoid contributing to the criminalization of students, especially students of color. 

 The high risk of suicide among Black girls is influenced by systemic racism and lack of access to mental health resources. Schools can better support their mental health through culturally competent services, inclusive environments, and resilience-building activities.

Adultification of Black girls happens when adults perceive them as less innocent and more mature than their white peers, leading to harsher treatment. This idea is reinforced in popular culture, where Black girls are often portrayed as less vulnerable.

To make Black girls feel more valued, schools can include diverse perspectives in the curriculum, celebrating the achievements of Black women and girls. 

 The first step schools should take to address the criminalization of Black girls is to acknowledge racial biases, provide anti-bias training, and involve Black girls and their communities in decision-making.

2. I feel the lack of Black female teachers could impact that Black girls may not have a suitable role model for them while they're at school pursuing their education.

3. I think they should, but to an extent. We should have officers willing to serve and protect like the system should.

4. A lot of Black girls want to commit suicide because of how they are treated not only in schools, but also in the media as well. We can help them by teaching them to love themselves regardless.

5. The adultification could come from parental roles, such as mothers being expectant for their daughters to take care of their siblings and the household. Black girls are also more likely to be sexualized because they go out on their own and people think it's okay.

6. They should have someone to give them advice, and end the beauty standards.

7. They should create movements and events that support the ending of the criminalization of Black girls, as they need to realize what they are doing.

2) i think the lack of black female teachers in school, makes it harder for black girls to look more "normal", and the stereotypes about them can thrive more easily.

3) i think police officers should not be in schools. the police are a system built to oppress people, and having them in schools would do the opposite of keep people safe.

4) i think a big reason black girls are more at risk for suicide, is that they suffer from racism and sexism. they are one of the most oppressed groups in society.

5) iv'e seen first hand the adultification of black girls in school, with teachers treating them like they are older, and the stereotype of black girls being more "mature" is really prominent. its in the media a ton, like in shows and movies. for example in the documentary the people at the restaurant where the 7 yo black girl who ran away went, called the police and told them she was 12.

6 & 7) i think having more black women in the school system, raising teacher wages, making and more policies that reinforce equity as a core value, would not only be the first steps but also probably the best thing to make school better for black girls, and everybody else.

2) Black girls in school would do better with more black female teachers because they would feel understood and probably more seen for who they are.

3) I don't think schools should have police officers working in them because students would feel more nervous and focus more on not doing anything wrong instead of having full attention in class.

4) There's a large amount of black females who are at risk for suicide because most of them are being preceived in a certain way or neglected and treated differently for being themselves. We can help support them by having more black staffs in school that they could comfortably speak to and rely on when they need help.

5) Adultification is shown when black girls are treated as if they are grown because of the way they look or act. Society looks at them as more mature and because of this gives black girls more adult roles or expects more from them.

6) We can make black girls feel more valued in our school community by having programs where they learn about their history and feel encouraged to embrace themselves and feel proud of their race.

7) Raise awareness of what's going on and what's being done to black girls. Bring in more black staff and try to talk to the students to see what could be done to help stop this criminalization.

2) The lack of black female teachers and black teachers in general is bad. Mainly because less black teachers means less black students will think that they can be anything that they want to be in life and sometimes what they want to be is a teacher but they need to see themselves as a teacher first and you need a black teacher in my opinion to do that.

3) No police officers should be at schools at all because police men should not be in a place of learning where kids are trying there best to learn but can't because of some police constantly harassing them all the time.

4) The reason why there are so many black girls at risk is because they don't feel loved at school or at home, they go to go, get harassed by everyone they know as well as getting bullied by staff and other students with nobody doing anything about it. The best way to support black girls is very simple, Just give them someone they can trust and someone they can rely on.

5) Black girls are expected to be more mature or older than they are supposed to be. An example is the girl wandering on the road and the people just passed her by saying that because she looks 12 they don't need to worry. I can't think of an example of this idea being reinforced in a movie, film, shows or advertising.

6) They need to give them a support system in the form of a teacher or in the best case multiple teachers they can rely on majority of the time

7) The first step they should take is removing all police officers from the schools. There should be no reason there are policemen in schools in the first place so that would be the best first step.

It can impact black girls because they might not feel safe.

2: Lack of black educators can affect how black girls are perceived in schools. If there are fewer black educators the girls might not feel safe because people feel more safe around others who look like them.

3: Although there have been some problems with SROs nationwide, I believe we should have SROs at schools because if there had been a safety problem, they would be there to respond quickly. I believe that if they have proper training they can do a better job at protecting the students at schools.

4: I think we have such a high risk for black girls committing suicide because they feel like the educators aren't giving them the support they need and some family issues. We can support their mental health by giving them the resources and support that they need.

5: Adultification is shown in the documentary at the beginning because the girl walks away from school and when she walks into the restaurant they call the police and they say if she doesn't look stressed she'll be ok.

6: Schools can make black girls feel valued by giving them the resources that they need and supporting them when they're stressed.

7: The first step schools can take to address the issues of criminalizing black girls is to have more staff of color which can make the black girls feel safer.

2) The lack of black teacher could impact how black girls are perceived by making black girls seems as outsiders and will made a divide on teachers and students.

3) yes I think they should, although it is seemed as a bad thing I think it could help, saying that I also thing they should be better trained and not just a random cop that could run away.

4) the reason that I think black girls have a high risk of suicide is because they lack support from the Schools that other people have and they could improve to better understand on how to help black girls with mental health and guide them.

5)

2: I think going and visiting the student's houses are helpful because the kids know that the staff cares about them.

3: The school supported families that are struggling by giving them resources that they need.

4: I think black students get suspended more then their white peers because of the culture and environment they grew up in compared to their white peers. Lucy Laney achieved a decrease in suspension rates because they were giving the students the resource they deserved and they were also promoting positive behaviors and building relationships etc.

5: Some ways we see learning in the film are teachers gathering kids in a small group or when one student is angry they would take them to the office and let them take their anger out on the punching bags.

6: something that stood out to me about the principal is how she found ways to help students struggling and her attitude around the students.

7: The outside community/neighborhood can impact the safety of the school because in the film it shows how they went into code yellow during the school day because there was a shooting right across the school.

8: One thing that stood out to me about the film was how the state made a mistake which really hurt the school but the teachers still had hope they would achieve their accomplishments.

2) Yes this is helpful and yes more schools should do this because a lot of parents don't check emails and some don't care, whereas if they come to the door the students can answer the door and get the information or it would be nice for parents who work all the time.

3) Giving more to the families, I think schools should give more to the families.

2) I think the staff visiting kids at home is really helpful to make the kids more comfortable, and to let the staff have a better understanding of their home life. I think more schools should do this, and it would be beneficial.

3) the school offers mental health support, and on multiple occasions steps in to directly help the students and families.

4) the circumstances that black students face are very different, and in a system that caters to the white demographic, and with all of the racism and classism its very easy for back students to get in trouble. she changed this by making the system work for her students and providing support and help whenever she can.

5) we see the students learn good coping strategies for their mental problems, and we see them helping each other and doing generally better in school.

6) she seemed like an overwhelmingly positive influence, even though her background is full of hardships.

7) if your school is in a not safe area, it will be harder for students to feel safe. for example there was a gunfight right outside of the school, while kids were out there.

8) I thought that the community seemed super supportive and that was really cool. something else that stood out was all the opportunities that the students had to do stuff like deliver coffee and donuts to teachers.

Resilience and Care:

Principal Mauri Melander Friestleben embodies resilience and commitment to students. Despite the difficulties, she and her team care deeply about the children's well-being.

At the beginning of the film, the staff's visit to the homes of nearly 500 incoming students was helpful:

The visit allowed staff to meet students and their families in a more intimate setting. More schools should consider this practice, especially in communities with socioeconomic challenges. Home visits can help build strong relationships between school and families, which benefits students.

2) I feel like this I helpful because it help students feel welcome and they can see that their school really cares about them not just in school but outside of school too.

3) There was a lot of kids struggling with home insecurity and the school was really patient with them by helping them let out those traumatic emotions. Like the punching bag method.

4) this happens I think mostly because the schools have more white students than black students. Also because they punish the students right away. In Lucy Lane there's a lot of black students and dont punish them right away but give them the time for them to correct their behavior and helping them.

5) The standardized test really bases off if schools are in the list or not and it isn't a effective way to show if a school is good or not just because its based off of a test. Other effective ways that Lucy Lane teaches is by challenging their students and teaching them that hard work means youre learning. Also by correcting the way they write and speak but in a gentle way.

6)what stood out to me about the principal was how much she cares a prioratizes her students and treats them like her own children.

7)Theres a lot of shootings where the school is located and a liquor store is close to the school so theres a lot of trash around the school.

8) what stood out the most to me about the film was how out of everything they separate if a school is good or bad and base it off a test.

2) Yes this is helpful especially for those who really need it like kids who need help and are struggling mentally. I definitely think that more students should do it based off of just the mentally thing alone.

3) Trying to reassure the families as much as possible that they are doing as much as they can to make their children feel like they are welcome at and outside of school.

4) Simply Lucy Laney doesn't suspend its students as often as other schools instead they try to deal with the underlying problem that causes their students to act out and uses that to prevent others from making the same mistake/mistakes

5) A lot of the students go through mental health struggles and we see them giving reasons for why they caused trouble so we can clearly see them learning from their mistakes and growing from that

6) He doesn't suspend students as often as other schools which is good and more schools need to do that

7) The environment of which the school is located in can cause a lot of negative stereotypes about black people. For example where there was a shooting right outside of the school where children were playing outside and that reinforces negative stereotypes about black children which can impact the safety of the children in the process

8) One thing that stood out to me is that the stress of standardized tests is real and it can be brutal and very humiliating for schools to send to the parents of the students. And all of it is based off of one test taken one time per year and doesn't accurately measure the students strengths and weaknesses.

6. The principal was so invested in the students. She wanted them to succeed she cared about them individually. So much so that the students would go to her to talk about their problems. The principal was so determined to get the school of "the list". She kept trying to find new ways to help the school improve.

7. The neighborhood was dangerous during the school day. There were gun shots near the school while the students were outside. This jeopardized the safety of the kids.

8. I really liked how the staff as a collective wanted their kids to thrive and they would do whatever it takes. Even if it is helping them outside of school.

2)Yes, it was really helpful because it made students feel excited to come back to the school environment and it made them feel loved. I think more schools should do this because it makes students' relationships with teachers better and students feel a sense of belonging.

3)The teachers helped the students by creating a safe space for them to express their feelings and helping them by finding homes for them to go back to.

4) This happens because black students have no way of expressing themselves without using their anger. Many teachers don't understand these students so they think that they are a danger to them and other students. Laney decreased this by helping students cope with their anger. They also got involved with their parents instead of sending students home.

5)They worked together as a school and

helped students build connections with other students and the community.

6)She devoured all her time and energy to help these kids succeed in school.

7) Their neighborhood is full of violence, drugs, and people who use guns. These affected the student's safety and how they perceived the outside world.

8) The staff put a lot of effort in helping the students express themselves and learn how to engage better.

2: I think it is helpful to visit the students houses before the school starts because the students see that they aren't forgotten.

3: The school was showing support to the families who needed help by giving them helpful resources.

4: I think black students get suspended more than white students because of their background and they way they grew up.

5: Some ways we see teaching in the film is teachers working in small groups.

6: Something that stood out to me about their principal was how emotionally connected she was with the students.

7: The outside neighborhood can impact their school safety because the neighborhood their in, there is a lot of safety concerns and shooting around that neighborhood.

8: One thing from the film that surprised me was how the state said they made a mistake which the principal and her staff were heartbroken.