My name is Reilly and I was educated entirely in the New Rochelle School District. I am an alum of Webster (2007), ALMS (2010), and NRHS (2014).  This conversation is way past due and I am glad to see it being brought to the attention of New Rochelle and the Board of Education. As I progressed through the schools in New Rochelle, I saw my classrooms become increasingly less diverse and increasingly more white. The most drastic changes, in my experience, took place when I went from ALMS to NRHS. I was placed in honors courses, with an overwhelming majority of white students. From then on, pretty much all of my classes were majorly white. White is/was not the majority of NRHS and it is/was upsetting to see how little racial representation there was in the honors and AP courses. This clearly indicates a failure of the school system. All students deserve equal opportunity to not only graduate high school but to excel in their education. 

 

Additionally, I used to believe that the education I received in New Rochelle was a great one and was proud to have attended the public schools in New Rochelle. I've realized that I was blinded by my own ignorance and privilege. I am specifically talking about the History that I was taught from K-10. I did not take history classes from 10th - 12th grade which is also something that is problematic. It should be a requirement to take history courses through 12th grade. The history that I was taught glossed over the civil rights movement and did not give accurate attention to important black individuals in our history. I am finally learning the truth of our history, and it is very disappointing that the New Rochelle School system did not accurately educate its students on the history of America. 

 

Furthermore, while I have not been in the school system in New Rochelle for several years, I would also like to mention the presence of security guards throughout our school system. Often times, there were 1-2 security guards per hallway. This increased "police adjacent" presence is detrimental to the safety of our students and the ability for many students to focus and learn. If you do not trust the police, you may still feel this continued distrust with the security guards in our school. I believe it is important to review and remove the presence of security guards and police in our school system. 

 

New Rochelle must immediately take steps to create an education system free of prejudice that truly provides the best education to all New Rochelle children. It is also crucial to immediately alter the syllabi for History classes throughout the school system and begin to teach our students the whole truth. I am hopeful that New Rochelle will be at the forefront of change that is desperately needed in our country. 

 

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Best,

Reilly