Principal's Corner

Inclusion

Welcome to May, Falcons! Our word of the month is inclusion, and our amazing Cinco de mayo celebration on Friday really brought this word to life for me. There are so many ways that inclusion can play out at our school, and the work we do with our families is such a huge and important one. We cannot do the work we do everyday without the support and collaboration and inclusion of our families. They entrust their incredible children in our care on a daily basis, and they are our crucial partners in our work.

Knowing that our families play such an integral role in what we do, I am deeply saddened when I hear of schools that place barriers to parent partnerships. Recently, a parent arrived at James Madison High School in Houston to pick up her child, and she was turned away due to her being in violation of the school’s dress code. When the parent asked for more information about the dress code, the school called the police. Shortly after this incident, the Principal of that High School sent a letter home to families outlining the dress code for parents. Not only was the language of the letter incredibly racialized and exclusionary, but the Principal argued that this was part of the work of “teaching our children what is right and what is correct and not correct.”  

Coshandra Dillard, a Staff Writer for Teaching Tolerance Magazine, recently wrote an article about this situation that beautifully captured the myriad ways that this letter - and the idea of having a parent dress code - was not only problematic but offensive. Toward the end of her article, she asks the important questions, “Will having a parent or guardian come to school without a bonnet or house shoes improve a student’s academic performance? Will it erase the systemic oppression that created economic disparities in their community? Will it remove the anxiety a heavy police presence produces in some students?” The answers to these questions certainly cannot be found in James Madison High School’s parent dress code.

In my brief time at Firestone, I have seen the thoughtful and intentional ways that families are included and seen as partners. I have watched teachers and staff members show love and empathy and respect for the families with which we are honored to work. As Dillard notes at the end of her article, “It’s critical that educators encourage parents and guardians to continue engaging with their students’ school, rather than give them reasons not to come back.” Thank you, Team, for consistently giving our families so many reasons to return to our school. If we teach our students anything about what is “correct,” let it be that their families are our allies, our partners, our community.