* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:02]
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WELCOME 
          [I. Welcome and Opening Remarks]
EVERYONE. 
          UM, THIS IS THE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE MEETING. 
          UM, MY NAME IS CARLA GRIEGO, AND I AM BOARD MEMBER FOR BOARD DISTRICT FIVE, AND I CHAIR THIS COMMITTEE. 
          THIS IS A NEW SPACE FOR US. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO DO THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, UH, TRYING TO SET OURSELVES UP SO WE CAN SEE EACH OTHER, UM, HAVE CONVERSATIONS ACROSS THE TABLE AND, UM, AND HAVE A MORE INTIMATE CONVERSATION. 
          AS, YOU KNOW, COMMITTEES SHOULD BE, RATHER THAN BEING AT THE DAYS WHERE WE WERE LIKE THE TOP AND CAMERAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR FACES. 
          SO ANYWAY, UM, I HOPE, LET ME KNOW HOW, UM, YOU LET ME KNOW HOW THIS FEELS FOR YOU, UH, FOR OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU ALL ARE VOLUNTEERING TO BE HERE AND DRIVING MANY MILES TO GET HERE IN SOME CASES. 
          AND THEN, OF COURSE, FOR OUR AUDIENCE, WE WANNA, UM, MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS FEEL, UH, THAT THEY'RE BEING HEARD, THAT THEY CAN PARTICIPATE AS WELL. 
          UH, SO AGAIN, WELCOME. 
          I WANT TO, UH, FIRST BEGIN BY WISHING FOLKS A JOYOUS RAMADAN AND A HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR. 
          UM, AT ELIZABETH LEARNING CENTER, WHICH IS ONE OF THE SCHOOLS IN MY DISTRICT, UH, WE, UH, HAVE GREAT CELEBRATIONS FOR RAMADAN. 
          THAT IS ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS THAT IS A DUAL LANGUAGE IN ARABIC. 
          AND, UH, BELL HIGH SCHOOL, ALSO IN MY DISTRICT, UH, BELL, THE CITY OF BELL HAS A VERY LARGE COMMUNITY OF LEBANESE, UH, MUSLIM, UH, COMMUNITY. 
          AND THEY HAVE A BIG RAMADAN CELEBRATION. 
          SO I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THOSE SCHOOLS AND, UM, AND CELEBRATE THEM. 
          AND MOST OF THESE SCHOOLS, IF, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE IN MOSTLY LATINX COMMUNITIES OR LATINA COMMUNITIES, AND, UM, BUT THEY UPLIFT, UH, THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY AS A PART OF THEIR, UM, WELCOMING AND KNOWING AND GROWING, UH, THE DIFFERENT CULTURES THAT ARE IN OUR COMMUNITIES. 
          SO, UM, WE HERE IN THIS COMMITTEE AS A WHOLE, OUR MISSION AND OUR VISION IS TO FOCUS ON HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY OUR VULNERABLE POPULATION, SEE THEIR WHOLE SELVES REFLECTED AND CELEBRATED IN THE CURRICULUM, IN INSTRUCTION, AND IN THE CLASSROOM CULTURE? AND HOW DO WE HELP, UM, EVERY CLASSROOM DO THIS? WE'VE BEEN DOING, HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS SINCE THE BEGINNING, LOOKING AT CURRICULUM. 
          AND SO I'M, I'M HAPPY THAT TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON HOW DO WE UPLIFT, UM, BLACK AND MUSLIM IDENTITY, HISTORY AND JOY. 
          UM, SO OUR GOAL FOR THIS COMMITTEE IS TO HAVE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE SET, THAT WE PROVIDE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD AND TO STAFF. 
          AND, UH, WE'VE ALREADY SET, UM, THE FIRST SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE WITH THAT, UH, THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS IN, AT THE END OF MAY. 
          WE'RE GONNA MAKE THE SECOND SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          SO, UM, AGAIN, WELCOME EVERYONE. 
          AND, UM, SO TODAY OUR BIG QUESTION FOR TODAY IS, IN THIS MOMENT OF HEIGHTENED INSECURITY AND REPRESSION ACROSS OUR COUNTRY, HOW DO WE UPLIFT BLACK AND MUSLIM IDENTITY, THE HISTORY AND JOY IN SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS? AND HOW DO WE ENGAGE THE WHOLE SCHOOL IN AFFIRMING CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND CULTURE? HOW ARE EDUCATORS IN SCHOOLS DOING THIS? WHAT FURTHER SUPPORTS ARE NEEDED? HOW DOES L-A-U-S-D BETTER SUPPORT SCHOOLS AND EDUCATORS TO DO THIS? AND TO BUILD A DISTRICT-WIDE CULTURE OF UPLIFTING BLACK AND MUSLIM STUDENT IDENTITY? BUT BEFORE WE HEAR FROM OUR PRESENTERS WHO ARE RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF US, I WANNA GROUND US INTO VERY IMPORTANT THINGS. 
          ONE IS THE VOICES OF OUR STUDENTS. 
          AND THE SECOND THING IS I WANT US TO GROUND US IN OUR OWN SELF-AWARENESS. 
          UM, WE NEED TO ASSESS OURSELVES FIRST AS EDUCATORS, UM, AS ADULTS, WORKING WITH CHILDREN. 
          WE WANT TO ASSESS OURSELVES. 
          UM, IT'S PART OF THE JOB OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY. 
          AND WE START WITH THE ADULT SELF-AWARENESS. 
          AND THEN WE GROUND OURSELVES IN OUR STUDENTS AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO, WE WANT TO ALWAYS CENTER OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR EXPERIENCES. 
          SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA SHOW YOU ALL A VIDEO OF OUR STUDENTS AT CLINTON MIDDLE SCHOOL. 
          UM, IT IS THE VOICES OF STUDENTS WHO ARE PART OF THE BSU, THE BLACK STUDENT UNION. 
          [00:05:01]
AND THEY'RE GONNA TALK A LOT ABOUT HOW, UM, WHEN THEY FEEL SEEN IN SCHOOL, WHEN THEIR IDENTITY IS RESPECTED WITH CHALLENGES THEY FACE, AND WHAT MISTAKES, UH, WHAT MAKES, WHAT MAKES THEM FEEL UNSEEN AND THEIR IDENTITY DIMINISHED. 
          SO LET ME SHOW YOU ALL THE VIDEO. 
          YEAH. 
          OH, DO I DO THAT? OH, OH, SORRY. 
          THIS HAS BEEN ALSO PART OF OUR GROUNDING THE FAIR ACT, WHICH IS, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT IT LAST TIME, WHICH IS A LAW THAT REQUIRES OUR SCHOOLS TO INCLUDE FACTUAL LESSONS ABOUT SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND CURRENT EVENTS AND HISTORY OF PEOPLE OF COLOR, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND L-G-B-T-Q PEOPLE INTO EXISTING SOCIAL STUDIES COURSEWORK. 
          SO WE WANNA REMIND OURSELVES THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS LEGAL AND THAT WE MUST FOLLOW THE LAW. 
          AND IT WAS, IT WAS, UH, SIGNED INTO LAW IN JULY OF 2011. 
          UH, ALL RIGHT. 
          SO HERE'S OUR STUDENTS. 
          LET ME SEE, AH, WHAT HAPPENED? GO BACK THIS QUESTION. 
          UM, PRESS PLAY AGAIN. 
          OH, SORRY. 
          OH, YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S TAKING A WHILE. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          THERE YOU GO. 
          PATIENCE. 
          THAT'S ANOTHER THING YOU FEEL SEEN FOR WHO YOU ARE AND, UH, AND WHO YOUR FAMILY IS LIKE, OR EVEN AS A, AS A BLACK STUDENT, WHEN DO YOU FEEL SEEN? WHEN I HAVE, LIKE, WHEN I'M DOING SOMETHING IN BAND AND I HAVE TO GET TO PERFORM. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT'S IT. 
          THAT'S IT. 
          AT SCHOOL. 
          UHHUH. 
          . 
          MAYBE WHEN, IN SIXTH GRADE WHEN I USED, I WAS PLAYING FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL. 
          SO IT'S ONLY THROUGH, UH, FOOTBALL. 
          IT'S ONLY THROUGH FOOTBALL THAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU ARE PERFORMING SOMETHING AS SOMETHING THAT'S WHEN YOU FEEL SEEN. 
          BUT LIKE, NOT, YOU DON'T EVER FEEL SEEN, LIKE IN YOUR ACADEMIC CLASSES OR, OR YOU DON'T. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT'S LIKE WHEN I PLAY FOOTBALL, THAT'S LIKE WHERE MY TRUE SELF COMES UP. 
          TRUE SELF. 
          MM-HMM . 
          I FEEL SEEN WHEN I GET PRAISE FOR MY ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS. 
          AND, AND DID THAT HAPPENS A LOT. 
          YEAH. 
          HAPPENS A LOT. 
          AND WITH ALL YOUR TEACHERS YEAH. 
          IS CHALLENGE, BECAUSE AGAIN, IF WE IDENTIFY YOUR CHALLENGES, WE CAN HELP YOU, RIGHT? MM. 
          I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY CHALLENGES. 
          YOU DON'T HAVE ANY, OKAY. 
          UH, ANY LIKE, WORK I'M DOING IN CLASS, LIKE, SOMETIMES I GET OVERWHELMED. 
          MM-HMM . 
          AND WHEN I TRY TO ASK, LIKE, PEOPLE IN MY TABLE, LIKE, WHAT'S HAPPENING? 'CAUSE SOMETIMES WHEN I'M READING, SOMETIMES I GET OVERWHELMED. 
          'CAUSE WE LIKE, WE RUSHING THROUGH THE WORK MM-HMM . 
          BECAUSE, UH, THAT'S FOR A HISTORY. 
          SO WE RUSH THROUGH THE WORK, AND THEN I GET OVERWHELMED, AND THEN I GET LOST. 
          AND THEN WHEN I ASK FOR LIKE, HELP IN THE TABLE, THEN EVERYONE JUST LIKE IGNORES ME. 
          SO THE STYLE AT WHICH YOU'RE TAUGHT IS ONE OF THE REASONS YOU GET, YOU DON'T FEEL, WHAT ABOUT EXTENDING YOUR, TO YOUR TEACHER? WELL, LIKE, BUT SHE, SHE SOMETIMES, LIKE, I BE TOO SHY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO LIKE, OKAY. 
          BECAUSE SHE BE BUSY AND LIKE, SHE HAS LIKE FIFTH, I MEAN, NOT LIKE 20 OTHER STUDENTS TO TEACH. 
          UM, I HAVE CHALLENGES OF BEING STRESSED OUT AND LIKE MY SHORT TEMPER. 
          SHORT TEMPER. 
          YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          SO THAT'S LIKE PERSONAL CHALLENGE THAT YOU, HOW, HOW'S THAT BEEN GOING? HAVE YOU, HAVE YOU WORKED? HOW YOU WORKING? DO YOU HAVE, UH, UH, STRATEGIES TO WORK ON IT? YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          LIKE DEEP BREATHING, LIKE MUSIC. 
          MUSIC, YEAH. 
          YEAH, YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          ONE CHALLENGE I FACE IS SCHOOL. 
          MM-HMM . 
          BEING CAUGHT THE N WORD. 
          YEAH. 
          BY THEM HISPANIC KIDS. 
          MM-HMM . 
          ESPECIALLY THAT, SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS. 
          AND LIKE, WAKING UP IN THE MORNING AND LIKE STRESS AND ANXIETY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO DO YOU KNOW, DO, CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE THAT COMES FROM? LIKE, DO YOU KNOW IF THAT'S FROM LIKE, MY ANXIETY COMES FROM LIKE, WHEN, LIKE, IF I DON'T REALLY GET GOOD GRADES ON THE TEST MM-HMM . 
          MM-HMM . 
          AND WE GOT FIVE MINUTES. 
          WELL, WHEN PEOPLE LIKE SAY RACIAL SLUR SLURS, OKAY. 
          MM-HMM . 
          AND LIKE, THEY KNOW, THEY'RE LIKE, THERE'S SOMEBODY, RIGHT. 
          THAT, THAT LIKE, IS THAT PERSON MM-HMM . 
          AND LIKE THEY DON'T CARE YEAH. 
          VISIBLE OR NOT SEEN IN SCHOOL. 
          IN SCHOOL. 
          [00:10:03]
UM, WHAT HE SAID WHEN THEM KIDS KEEP CALLING ME THE N-WORD. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I'LL BE VERY WRONG IF I SAY SOMETHING. 
          MM-HMM . 
          AND YOU WOULDN'T BE VERY WRONG IF YOU TOLD AN ADULT THOUGH. 
          SO I KNOW. 
          JUST REMEMBER THAT. 
          KEEP GOING. 
          AND WHEN I WAS ACCUSED OF SOMETHING MM-HMM . 
          I LIKE DIDN'T DO, AND I KNOW I DIDN'T DO MM-HMM . 
          MM-HMM . 
          AND WHAT I'M NOT ACKNOWLEDGED ABOUT, LIKE, SOMETHING I WAS TOLD TO DO AND LIKE, YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          WOW. 
          SO THOSE ARE OUR STUDENTS FROM, UM, CLINTON MIDDLE SCHOOL. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, AS A TEACHER, I'M ALWAYS SO INSPIRED BY THEM, THEIR HONESTY, THEIR HUMILITY, AND UM, AND JUST REALLY CALLING US OUT, RIGHT? UM, AS, AS MEMBERS OF SOCIETY WHO, UM, ARE ADULTS AND HAVE MORE POWER THAN THEY DO, AND WHO COULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING. 
          SO, UH, I WANNA THANK CLINTON MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR SENDING US THIS, THIS VIDEO. 
          AND TODAY WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WAS IN THAT VIDEO. 
          SO I'M REALLY EXCITED, UH, TO WELCOME STUDENTS AND TO ALSO WELCOME TEACHERS AND TO WELCOME STAFF FROM THE DISTRICT WHO ARE DOING, UH, WORK ON A DAILY BASIS TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE, UH, DIS UH, SHARED IN THE VIDEO. 
          UM, BUT I WANT TO INTRODUCE, I'M GONNA SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MICHAEL WATTS, WHO IS A, AN LCSW PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL WORKER, UH, IN THE BLACK STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PLAN. 
          AND HE'S AT FREMONT HIGH SCHOOL, AND HE COULD NOT BE HERE WITH US TODAY, BUT HE SENT US THIS SLIDE. 
          AND HE'S THE ONE WHO SAID, YOU KNOW, IT HAS TO BEGIN WITH US, THE ADULTS. 
          WE HAVE TO ASSESS OURSELVES. 
          AND AS A TEACHER, I TOTALLY AGREE. 
          AND HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE CONDUCT, HOW DO WE SPEAK TO KIDS? HOW DO WE LISTEN TO THEM? HOW DO WE MAKE THEM FEEL SEEN AND HEARD AND VALUED? BECAUSE FRANKLY, AS WE CAN SEE, OUR KIDS GO THROUGH A LOT OF STRESS AND CARRY A LOT OF ANXIETY. 
          AND EDUCATORS CAN ADD TO THAT OR CAN ALLEVIATE THAT. 
          AND SO THAT SELF-ASSESSMENT, THAT SELF-AWARENESS FOR US AS ADULTS IS VERY IMPORTANT. 
          UM, AND HE HAS SOME ADVICE, UH, MR. WATTS, HE SAID, UM, IN SCHOOLS, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE COULD DO, AND I'M THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DISTRICT WIDE, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO DISTRICT WIDE ARE, UM, IF I CAN PULL IT UP ON MY SLIDE BECAUSE I CANNOT SEE THAT FAR. 
          OKAY. 
          SO HE SAYS, BE PERPETUALLY MINDFUL OF UNHEALTHY, UNHEALTHY IMPLICIT BIAS, GENERALIZATIONS AND STEREOTYPES WHEN THINKING OF OUR BLACK STUDENTS. 
          DISPLAY GENUINENESS AND ATTENTIVENESS WHILE LISTENING TO UNDERSTAND THE THOUGHTS, IDEAS, PERCEPTIONS, AND BELIEFS OF OUR BLACK STUDENTS. 
          BE PATIENT, POLITE, AND PRESENT WHILE ENGAGED WITH OUR BLACK STUDENTS. 
          UNDERSTAND THAT OUR BLACK STUDENTS ARE GIFTED, TALENTED, AND PURPOSEFUL. 
          CONSIDER FLEXIBILITY WITH, WITH PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH, NAMELY, WHILE SYNTHESIZING AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL CONTEXT INTO EXISTING COURSE CONTENT. 
          SO THIS IS SOME ADVICE AND SOME RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          AND I THINK THAT WE WANNA TAKE THIS AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT AND HOW CAN WE, UH, TAKE THIS TO ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS AND HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS AT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS SO THAT, UM, OUR, OUR EDUCATORS CAN, AND OUR ADMINISTRATORS, JUST THE WHOLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY CAN EMBRACE, UH, THESE SELF-AWARENESS, UM, STATEMENTS, UH, WHEN WE'RE, AND ESPECIALLY, UM, IN SCHOOLS WHERE WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE IN THE MINORITY IN TERMS OF NUMBERS, RIGHT? THAT'S MORE OF A TIME FOR US TO BE SELF-AWARE. 
          SO THANK YOU TO, UH, OUR PSW, UM, MR. WATTS. 
          AND, UH, NOW I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD. 
          OH, THIS IS ANOTHER THING HE SAID THAT WE COULD DO AS A, AS A, UH, UH, L-A-U-S-D LEADERSHIP, WHICH COULD BE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DO DISTRICT-WIDE, LIKE HOST EXPERT LED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WORKSHOPS, WHICH FOCUS ON TOPICS OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. 
          CERTAINLY WE WOULD WANNA DO THAT ON PD TUESDAYS. 
          UH, HAVE STAFF TAKE IMPLICIT ASSOCIATION AND EXPLICIT SELF-REPORT. 
          DO, DO SURVEYS, UH, HAVE REGULAR, UH, STAFF FIRESIDE CHATS LED BY AN EXPERT, UH, REGARDING CULTURAL DYNAMICS RELATED TO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILD AND ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE AND HOST EXPERT LED WORKSHOPS AROUND TRAUMA, GRIEF, AND LOSS, AND THEIR IMPACT ON GENERAL ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND 
          [00:15:01]
I KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME OF THIS IN OUR DISTRICT. 
          AND IN FACT, BACK IN 2020, WE HAD, UH, UH, LIKE, UM, WHAT IS IT, MODULES ON IMPLICIT BIAS. 
          BUT THE WAY THAT IT WAS ROLLED OUT, IT WAS OPTIONAL ALMOST BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ACCOUNTABILITY AS TO WHO DID IT, WHO DIDN'T GET IT DONE. 
          AND IT WAS ALSO JUST DONE BETWEEN THE, THE EDUCATOR AND THE COMPUTER. 
          THERE WAS NO CONVERSATION, NO DISCUSSION, NO FOLLOW THROUGH. 
          SO WE DON'T WANNA CONTINUE, UH, DOING THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          WE WANNA DO THEM IN A, IN A MEANINGFUL WAY IF WE REALLY WANNA SHIFT THINGS AND DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY. 
          SO I APPRECIATE SOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE CAN TAKE, UM, AND WE CAN FURTHER DISCUSS LATER ON. 
          UM, AND SO NOW THIS IS THE QUESTION THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE, UM, TALKING ABOUT AGAIN, HOW DO WE UPLIFT BLACK IDENTITY, HISTORY AND JOY IN SCHOOLS IN OUR CLASSROOMS? I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL UP OUR, OUR NEXT, OUR FIRST PRESENTER. 
          AND THE WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA DO IT TODAY IS WE'RE GONNA LISTEN TO THE PRESENTERS AND THEN AS A COMMITTEE, I'M GONNA CALL ON THREE FOLKS TO EITHER ASK A QUESTION OR DISCUSS, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HEAR OUR NEXT, UH, PRESENTER, AND THEN WE'LL CALL IT ANOTHER THREE FOLKS. 
          SO 3, 3, 3. 
          AND THEN AT THE END, WE'LL HAVE MORE TIME TO DISCUSS, BECAUSE I KNOW SOMETIMES IT'S KIND OF LIMITED, OUR TIME HERE CAN BECOME LOADED. 
          SO LET 
          [II.1. Honoring Black Identity, History, and Joy in Schools and Classrooms: In this moment of heightened insecurity and repression, how do we uplift Black identity, history and joy in schools and classrooms?]
ME, UM, GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE OUR FIRST, UM, EDUCATOR, MS. NAYA HENRY, WHO IS A TEACHER AT DORSEY HIGH SCHOOL. 
          AND, UH, SHE COMES, SHE GREW UP IN SOUTH LA, ATTENDED OUR SCHOOLS THREE TO 12. 
          AND, UM, SHE, YOU CAN READ FOR YOURSELF, UM, HER, HER BACKGROUND, BUT, UH, A FIRST YEAR TEACHER AND THE SECOND, UH, YEAR AT DORSEY HIGH SCHOOL, I GUESS SHE WAS A, A STUDENT TEACHER. 
          SO WE WILL HEAR FROM MS. HENRY. 
          AND, UM, I THINK YOU'LL BE ABLE TO U YES. 
          FACILITATE WITH YOUR SLIDES. 
          AWESOME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WELCOME. 
          YES. 
          HELLO. 
          UM, I WON'T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME GOING OVER THIS AGAIN, BUT I DID ATTEND, UM, LUSD SCHOOLS FROM THREE TO 12TH GRADE, FROM THIRD THROUGH 12TH GRADE. 
          I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN 2020. 
          I GRADUATED FROM UCLA WITH MY BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN 2024. 
          AND NOW I'M THERE FINISHING UP MY TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM WITH MY MASTER'S WHILE I'M FINISHING MY FIRST YEAR TEACHING AT DORSEY. 
          AND THAT'S ALSO WHERE A STUDENT TAUGHT. 
          UM, I HAVE ABOUT 155 STUDENTS AND 95% OF THEM IDENTIFY AS BLACK OR LATINX OR, UM, BOTH. 
          UM, I WORK WITH NINTH, 11TH, AND 12TH GRADE. 
          AND THEN I HAVE A, ABOUT 5% OF STUDENTS WHO ARE NEWCOMER EL STUDENTS. 
          UM, BUT I HAVE, UM, OVER 20% OF MY STUDENTS ARE EITHER GATE, UM, OR HAVE A 5 0 4 IEP PLAN. 
          AND SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I DO IN MY CLASSROOM TO, UM, AFFIRM BLACK IDENTITY AND ALSO BLACK JOY. 
          UM, LOVE IS HAVING THE SPACE REPLICATE THAT. 
          SO HAVING STUDENT ART UP OR JUST HAVING THINGS THAT RELATE TO THEIR IDENTITIES WHERE THEY SEE THEMSELVES DAILY. 
          UM, ALSO HAVING SOMETHING LIKE A CLASSROOM PLAYLIST, AS LONG AS THERE'S NO CURSE WORDS, THEY CAN ADD SONGS THAT THEY ENJOY. 
          AND I WILL PLAY THEM DOING OUR DOWN WRITING TIME. 
          UM, WE DO DAILY CHECK-INS EVERY DAY. 
          THEY COME IN, THEY ANSWER A QUESTION, IT'S AN OPINION, IT'S A POLITICAL, UM, LIKE OPINION OR IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE INTEREST IN OR A MOOD RATING, SOMETHING THAT THEY DO. 
          WE DO COMMUNITY CIRCLES EVERY TUESDAY. 
          AND THEN ALSO JUST MAKING SPACE FOR LAUGHTER, INFORMAL CONNECTION, ALLOWING THEM TO BREATHE, TO SMILE, TO FEEL COMFORTABLE. 
          UM, WE DO JOURNALS EVERY DAY AS WELL ON JOY, MEMORY, FAMILY, ANYTHING THAT RELATES TO THEM, BUT ALSO ALIGNING IT WITH CONTENT. 
          AUTO ETHNOGRAPHIES. 
          I STARTED OFF THE YEAR BEFORE WE GOT TO MY PERSPECTIVES, I HAD EVERYONE DO A PROJECT ABOUT THEMSELVES. 
          I WANNA KNOW WHERE YOU COME FROM ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY. 
          UM, THEY DID LIKE RECIPE CARDS ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEN CURRICULUM. 
          SO I TEACH 12TH GRADE MODERN LITERATURE, WHICH MEANS I GET MORE CONTROL ABOUT READING NOVELS. 
          AND SO I'M CURRENTLY READING PARABLE OF THE SOWER WITH MY STUDENTS. 
          UM, BUT THEN ALSO LAST YEAR WITH MY STUDENT TEACHING, STUDENT TEACHING, WE READ THE KITE RUNNER AS WELL, WHICH CENTERS MUSLIM IDENTITY AND PARABLE OF THE SOWER CENTERS BLACK IDENTITY. 
          AND THEN THESE ARE JUST, UM, A COUPLE OF IMAGES FROM ACTUAL SLIDES THAT I USE IN THE CLASSROOM FROM ANTICIPATION GUIDES THAT I GAVE MY STUDENTS BEFORE WE READ PARABLE OF THE SOWER. 
          UM, AND THEN ALSO I HAVE A IMAGE FROM, UM, THE PROJECT THAT WE DID LAST SEMESTER, INGREDIENTS OF MEAT WHERE MY STUDENTS ACTUALLY TOLD ME ABOUT THEMSELVES, THEIR COMMUNITIES. 
          THEY CAME OUT IN LITTLE RECIPE BOOKS, UM, DIGITAL OR THEY MADE THEM, UM, PHYSICAL AND I HELPED THEM PUT THEM TOGETHER. 
          UM, AND THEN ALSO WHILE I'M TEACHING PARABLE OF THE SOWER, I'M TALKING ABOUT THIS CONCEPT OF AFROFUTURISM, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE REALLY THEORETICAL, BUT 
          [00:20:01]
REIGNING IT IN AND JUST TRYING TO SHOW THEM THAT IT SIMPLY MEANS LIKE BLACK JOY. 
          AND, UM, THINKING ABOUT BLACK FUTURES AS SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST LIKE PAIN . 
          AND THEN A COUPLE MORE IMAGES. 
          UM, ONE FROM OUR CLASS PLAYLIST. 
          I ALSO GAVE ALL MY STUDENTS FIRE RIGHT JOURNAL. 
          SO EVERY DAY THEY COME IN, WE WRITE, AND THEY'RE RELATED TO OUR CONTENT. 
          AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION, UM, THIS ONE IMAGE. 
          I HAVE A STUDENT WHO TOOK HIS FIRE AT JOURNAL HOME, DIDN'T BRING IT BACK FOR WEEKS. 
          I WAS LIKE, WHY? HE SAID, MISS, I DREW IN IT. 
          I SAID, THAT'S OKAY. 
          I WANNA SEE YOUR DRAWINGS, BUT IT'S GRAFFITI. 
          THAT'S OKAY. 
          I WANNA SEE YOUR DRAWINGS. 
          AND SO ALLOWING THEM THE SPACE TO DO THINGS THAT MAYBE SOMETIMES MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED WITH NEG SOMETHING NEGATIVE, BUT THEY SEE GRAFFITI AS SOMETHING THAT TIES THEM TO THEIR CULTURE AND ART FORM THAT THEY APPRECIATE AS LONG AS IT'S APPROPRIATE, MAKING SPACE FOR THOSE THINGS AS WELL, UM, WILL CENTER THEIR IDENTITIES AND MAKE THEM FEEL VISIBLE. 
          UM, AND THEN JUST TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT I FACE. 
          I THINK TRYING TO TEACH CURRICULUM THAT IS CENTERED AROUND BLACK IDENTITY. 
          UM, STUDENTS WHO MAY NOT IDENTIFY AS BLACK, NOT SEEING THEMSELVES REFLECTED, AND SO THEREFORE THEY'RE NOT REALLY INTERESTED OR THEY DON'T SEE A POINT OF CONNECTION. 
          UM, ALSO WHEN IT COMES TO PASSION FOR THE SUBJECT, SPECIFICALLY WITH TEACHERS, SOMETIMES PEOPLE SEE ME AND THEY THINK, OKAY, YOU'RE YOUNG AND BLACK, YOU TEACH BLACK HISTORY. 
          THAT MAKES SENSE. 
          BUT I THINK THIS IS A NECESSITY. 
          ALL TEACHERS SHOULD BE DOING IT. 
          UM, AND IT SHOULDN'T JUST BE OPTIONAL INCLUSION. 
          YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE A PASSION TO BE ABLE TO TELL STUDENTS SOMETHING THAT THEY NEED TO KNOW AND SOMETHING THAT THEY SHOULD BE EMPATHETIC ABOUT. 
          UM, ALSO THE THREAT OF LESS RIGOR. 
          SOMETIMES WE SEE THESE NOVELS COME IN DIFFERENT FORMS, LIKE GRAPHIC NOVELS OR THEY TALK ABOUT SUBJECTS THAT WE MAY NOT, UM, SEE AS LIKE BEING ABLE TO LIKE CRITICALLY THINK ABOUT ALL THE TIME. 
          BUT, UM, KNOWING THAT AND INCLUDING THESE STORIES AND ALLOWING STUDENTS TO JUST THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT SOME OF, LIKE, THE WAYS OF LIFE THAT THEY HAVE KNOWN, THAT IN ITSELF IS RIGOR. 
          JUST CHALLENGING THEM, UM, IS RIGOR FOR SOME OF THEM. 
          UM, AND THEN TRAUMA VERSUS JOY CENTERED CURRICULUM. 
          SOMETIMES WHEN WE DO SEE THINGS INCLUDED IN THE CURRICULUM, UM, IT IS USUALLY CENTERED AROUND PAIN, UM, VIOLENCE. 
          WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THE, THE SLAVE, UM, THE SLAVE TRADE FOR SO LONG. 
          WE'VE HEARD I HAVE THE DREAM SPEECH FOR SO LONG. 
          UM, AND IT TALKS ABOUT HOPE, YES. 
          BUT I THINK JUST BEING ABLE TO SEE STORIES THAT TALK ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AND JOY AND FAMILY AND EVERYDAY SUBJECTS, UM, CENTERING HAPPIER, UM, THOUGHTS, NOT ALLOWING STUDENTS TO ALWAYS SEE THEMSELVES AS THE VICTIM IN THESE NARRATIVES. 
          WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE NARRATIVES ALL THE TIME, ALL THEY SEE IS THE NEGATIVE AND THEY DON'T ALWAYS GET HOW WE ARE RISING ABOVE THAT. 
          UM, AND THEN ALSO ACCESSIBILITY. 
          SOMETIMES THESE THINGS ARE JUST NOT ACCESSIBLE. 
          WE DON'T HAVE THE CLASSROOM COPIES, WE DON'T HAVE, UM, WE CAN'T OPEN THE WEBSITES ON THE L-A-U-S-D WIFI. 
          UM, THERE'S JUST DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          AND THEN ALSO COMBATING ANTI-BLACKNESS. 
          UM, BUT SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE I WORK WITH A POPULATION THAT IS LARGELY BLACK OR LATINX, UM, COMBATING ANTI-BLACKNESS THAT COMES FROM A LATINX POPULATION. 
          BUT WAYS TO COMBAT THAT, UM, ALLOWING STUDENTS TO FIRST REALIZE THAT THEY COME FROM THE SAME PLACES. 
          AND SO EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY LOOK DIFFERENTLY, THE COMMUNITIES, THE PLACES THAT THEY FIND IMPORTANT, THE PEOPLE THAT THEY FIND IMPORTANT, THE BEHAVIORS THAT THEY KNOW, THEY ARE SIMILAR. 
          AND SO FINDING POINTS OF CONNECTION, NAMING THE REALITY, GIVING THEM THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY NEED TO EXPLAIN THESE. 
          UM, LETTING THEM KNOW THAT MICROAGGRESSIONS IS A WORD AND DEFINING THAT FOR THEM, AND THEN THEY CAN BE ABLE TO POINT IT OUT AND TELL THE, UM, TELL THEIR PEERS THAT THEY DON'T LIKE IT. 
          UM, SEPARATING I IGNORANCE FROM RESPONSIBILITY. 
          SOMETIMES STUDENTS WILL SAY, I DIDN'T KNOW, OR THEY'RE NOT OFFENDED, OR, THAT'S MY FRIEND. 
          BUT WHAT YOU THINK A PERSON FEELS AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO JUST BE AN EMPATHETIC HUMAN BEING WHO IS NOT BEING OFFENSIVE, IS DIFFERENT. 
          AND SO ALIGNING THAT WITH MAYBE COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS IN THE ROOM, TEACHING SHARED HISTORY, LIKE I SAID, UM, NAMING THESE THINGS, ANTI-BLACKNESS EXISTS WITHIN LATINX COMMUNITIES, WITHIN ASIAN COMMUNITIES, BUT IT IS ALSO THE REVERSE AS WELL. 
          AND SO OPPRESSION IS NOT A COMPETITION. 
          WE DON'T NEED TO COMPARE OUR PAIN, IT EXISTS TOGETHER. 
          UM, BUT KNOWING THAT WE ALSO, UM, FIGHT AND WIN TOGETHER, RIGHT? AND THEN MAKING THE BEHAVIOR VISIBLE, DOING ACTIVITIES WHERE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO LIKE POINT AND CALL OUT THEIR OWN BEHAVIOR AND THEN LEARN FROM THAT AS WELL. 
          UM, AND THEN WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO SCALE UP HOW EDUCATORS IN SCHOOLS UPLIFT BLACK IDENTITY, HISTORY AND JOY? UM, SO LIKE I GOING BACK TO ACCESS CLASSROOM SETS, ACCESS IS NOT JUST ENCOURAGEMENT. 
          WE NEED TO HAVE ENOUGH BOOKS FOR ALL STUDENTS TO READ. 
          THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THEM HOME, BRING THEM BACK, THEY CAN'T SHARE, RIGHT? WE NEED TO HAVE THE COPIES. 
          BLACK SPECULATIVE FICTION COMING OF AGE STORIES, POETRY, ALL THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF NARRATIVES. 
          PAID PD DAYS, ACTUALLY TRAINING OUR TEACHERS 
          [00:25:01]
TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS, HAVE THE AFFIRMING DISCUSSIONS, UM, TRAUMA INFORMED VERSUS JOY CENTERED PEDAGOGY, WHAT THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE. 
          AND THEN HAVING COLLABORATIVE PLANNING TIME. 
          THESE THINGS COULD BE AND SHOULD BE INTERDISCIPLINARY. 
          ELA, ETHNIC STUDIES, SOCIAL STUDIES, ARTS, THEY SHOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER AND HAVING THE ACTUAL TIME TO DO THAT. 
          AND THEN ADMINISTRATIVE PROTECTION, PUBLICLY AFFIRMING THIS, LETTING OUR FAMILIES KNOW, SENDING STATEMENTS HOME, JUST HAVING THE LANGUAGE PREPARED SO WHEN FAMILIES HAVE QUESTIONS, WE HAVE ANSWERS, BUT WE CAN AFFIRM THAT WHAT WE ARE DOING IS CENTERED AROUND THE STANDARDS, UM, AND DISTRICT VALUES. 
          AND ALSO ENSURING THAT OBSERVATIONS VALUE STUDENT VOICE, CULTURAL RELEVANCE, AND CREATIVE ASSESSMENTS. 
          SO WHEN, UM, ADMINISTRATORS GO, ADMINISTRATORS GO INTO THE ROOM WHEN THEY'RE SEEING THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITY CIRCLES AND THESE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES, EVEN IF IT MAY NOT BE THE KAGAN STRATEGIES THAT WE HAVE OUTLINED SPECIFICALLY, THEY ARE STILL HELPING OUR STUDENTS LEARN AND THEY ARE WORKING, AND THEN HIRE AND RETAIN MORE BLACK AND, UM, PEOP UM, EDUCATORS OF COLOR. 
          WOO. 
          SO GOOD. 
          OH MY GOSH. 
          SHE'S SPEAKING A LANGUAGE. 
          WE'VE BEEN SPEAKING ALL THIS WEEK, ALL THESE MONTHS. 
          WOW. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UM, THANK YOU , WHAT A JOY TO HAVE YOU AT ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS AND, AND THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE DOING SUCH GREAT WORK. 
          UM, SO I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION, UH, AND UH, CONVERSATION, DISCUSSION QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE, UM, TO OUR COMMITTEE. 
          AND SO I'M, SO I'M GONNA CALL IN THREE FOLKS. 
          WE HAVE SPACE FOR THREE FOLKS. 
          FOR THE FIRST ONE. 
          OH, CECILY , MY GOODNESS. 
          IN YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE HOW LONG YOUR DAY WAS TODAY. 
          UM, I MEAN, I LOVE . 
          OH, HOLD ON. 
          CECILY, LET'S GIVE YOU A MIC. 
          CECILY USE THE MIC. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THERE WE GO. 
          ON THIS SIDE ONE. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          COOL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YES. 
          NO, NOW IT'S GREEN. 
          YES. 
          IF YOU MISSED IT, I SAID THANK YOU. 
          UM, AND UM, THIS IDEA OF LIKE, WHAT IF KIDS COULD ACTUALLY TAKE THE BOOKS HOME, RIGHT? LET'S WRITE THAT DOWN. 
           LIKE EVERY, YOU KNOW, PERSON GETS TO KEEP THE BOOK AND LOVE IT AND DIG IT HOME. 
          UM, UH, MY QUESTION WAS ABOUT YOUR LAST POINT ABOUT RETENTION. 
          WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? I THINK, I THINK, UM, RETENTION DEFINITELY LOOKS LIKE FIRST HAVING SUPPORT. 
          AND I KNOW THAT I HAVE, UM, AS A FIRST YEAR TEACHER, I HAVE SUPPORT ON MY CAMPUS. 
          UM, AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE ALSO, LIKE, THERE IS DISTRICT SUPPORT FOR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS, BUT MAYBE HAVING SUPPORT SPECIFICALLY FOR BLACK FIRST YEAR TEACHERS TALKING ABOUT HOW TO TEACH THIS CURRICULUM OR HOW IT, UM, ALIGNS WITH OUR IDENTITIES AS EDUCATORS, UM, IN WAYS TO KIND OF LIKE MAKE THAT VISIBLE IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT JUST, I DON'T KNOW, CONNECTING TEACHERS WITH EACH OTHER. 
          BECAUSE I THINK IF YOU KNOW THAT SOMEONE IS DOING THE SAME THING, UM, AND COMES FROM THE SAME PLACE OR JUST UNDERSTANDS YOU, THEN YOU FEEL MORE MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE WORKING. 
          YOU CAN SHARE SOMETHING YES. 
          AND THEN YOU CAN SHARE, YES, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT ALONE. 
          UM, AND THEN MAYBE YOU CAN COLLABORATE SCHOOL TO SCHOOL. 
          UM, AND THEN YES. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANYBODY ELSE WOULD LIKE TO YES. 
          DREAM? YEAH, YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. 
          THAT WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION. 
          UM, WHAT I WANTED TO ASK THOUGH, YOU TEACH HISTORY AS WELL, UM, IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? NO. 
          SO I TEACH, UM, I JUST TEACH NINTH, 11TH, AND 12TH GRADE ENGLISH. 
          GOTCHA. 
          YES. 
          WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, SLAVERY AND, AND THE BEING CENTERED AROUND PAIN INSTEAD OF JOY, HOW DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TEACHING IT IN ENGLISH? HOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN BRING THAT OUT IN YOUR, THE WAY THAT YOU'RE TEACHING IN YOUR COURSES? I DUNNO IF THAT MAKES SENSE. 
          WELL, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT NOW IN MY NINTH GRADE ENGLISH CLASS USING THE, MY PERSPECTIVES, WE'RE DOING A LITERATURE OF CIVIL RIGHTS UNIT, BUT THE ONLY THINGS INCLUDED IN THAT UNIT IS THE, I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL AND A SPEECH BY ROBERT KENNEDY. 
          AND THEN ONCE YOU GET TO THE GROUP LEARNING, THEN THERE'S, UM, A COUPLE MORE THINGS. 
          THERE'S A ONE POEM IN THERE, BUT IT'S STILL ALL MALE AUTHORS. 
          AND SO EVEN INCLUDING SOMEONE BLACK AND FEMALE IN THAT WOULD BE CENTERING BLACK IDENTITY AND BLACK JOY IN A DIFFERENT WAY, BUT ALSO INCLUDING SOMETHING OTHER THAN SOMETHING I'M SURE STUDENTS HAVE HEARD OVER AND OVER AGAIN. 
          UM, 
          [00:30:01]
AND SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO DO WITH LIKE, THE MOVEMENT, JUST SOMETHING MAYBE WRITTEN DURING THE TIME, BUT CENTER, LIKE A DIFFERENT TOPIC, BUT DO THE SAME THING AS WELL. 
          THAT'S GREAT. 
          YES. 
          SHERETTE, THERE WE GO. 
          , UH, THANK YOU FOR PRESENTING AND OF COURSE BEING AT MY ALMA MATER, I HAVE TO SPEAK UP. 
          UM, ARE YOU RELATED TO MR? YEAH, JUST A LITTLE BIT. 
          YEP, YEP, YEP. 
          THAT'S THE OTHER GUY. 
          . 
          UM, SO WANTED TO ASK ABOUT YOU. 
          YOU MENTIONED COLLABORATIVE PLANNING TIME. 
          WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT, OR WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? CURRENTLY AT OUR SCHOOL, WE DO NOT HAVE LIKE SET COLLABORATIVE PLANNING TIME ASIDE FROM LIKE OUR PD DAYS. 
          SO WE'LL DO LIKE, WE'LL USUALLY HAVE A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PRESENTATION TO LOOK AT, AND THEN THE LEFTOVER TIME WE HAVE TO LIKE TALK TO OUR DEPARTMENT, BUT IT'S NOT JUST USUALLY LIKE SET TIME. 
          WE HAVE THIS WHOLE HOUR OR TWO HOURS, OR WE COME IN ON A WEEKEND OR WE HAVE THIS TIME WITHIN THE SUMMER. 
          UM, AND THAT'S ALSO WHAT I'VE HEARD. 
          LIKE, I KNOW THERE WASN'T SET SUMMERTIME BEFORE BECAUSE THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR. 
          UM, BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH TIME AND IT'S NOT LIKE JUST FOCUSED ON COLLABORATION. 
          THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING ELSE TO DO WITH THAT. 
          GOT IT. 
          GOT IT. 
          SO WHAT WOULD IDEALLY LOOK FOR YOU, WOULD IT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU WOULD BE HELPFUL? I THINK BEING ABLE TO HAVE LIKE, JUST, UH OH, OKAY. 
          SOME OF THOSE. 
          UM, TUESDAY PD DAY IS DEDICATED JUST TO BEING ABLE TO COLLABORATE WITH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OR EVEN, UM, JUST LIKE ON A, ON A, LIKE EVERY CAMPUS LEVEL, MAYBE ORGANIZING OUR CONFERENCE PERIOD TIME SO THAT WE CAN WORK WITH DIFFERENT TEACHERS IN THE DIFFERENT, UM, SUBJECTS WHO HAVE LIKE THE SAME PERIODS, BUT THAT THERE'S, THERE'S JUST TIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO LIKE TALK. 
          IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE, WE SIT AND PLAN A WHOLE YEAR'S WORTH OF CURRICULUM. 
          IT CAN JUST BE WE SIT AND TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AND HOW I CAN SOMEHOW RELATE THAT TO WHAT I'M DOING IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. 
          GOT IT. 
          NOW ARE YOU TEACHING IN THE MAGNET PROGRAM COMMUNITY SCHOOL? WHERE ARE YOU TEACHING? SO I CURRENTLY TEACH WITHIN THE MAGNET. 
          I'M WITHIN THE FIRE AND EMS MAGNET. 
          GOT IT. 
          GOT IT. 
          THANKS. 
          UM, I SAID I WAS GONNA CALL ON THREE, SO I'M GONNA STICK TO THAT AS MUCH AS I WANNA CALL ON OTHERS. 
          IT'S OKAY. 
          I THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          IF YOU CAN STICK AROUND, IF YOU CAN AND, AND IF THERE'S MORE QUESTIONS COMING UP LATER ON, BUT, UM, THANK YOU. 
          SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL, UH, PRESENTATION AND GIVES ME SO MUCH HOPE FOR, UH, WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE, ARE, ARE LEARNING AND, AND EXPERIENCING. 
          SO, UM, OKAY, 
          [II.2. Honoring Muslim Identity, History, and Joy in Schools and Classrooms: In this moment of heightened insecurity and repression, how do we uplift Muslim identity, history and joy in schools and classrooms?]
NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT, UH, PRESENTER, UH, BUILD THE INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM, UPLIFTING MUSLIM IDENTITY, HISTORY AND JOY. 
          AND SO, UH, WE HAVE MS. RAHAN KHAN, WHO IS A FIFTH GRADE TEACHER AT PORTER RANCH COMMUNITY SCHOOL. 
          WELCOME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OH, SORRY. 
          YEAH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, MEMBERS OF THE L-A-U-S-D CURRICULUM COMMITTEE. 
          MY NAME IS RAHAN KAHN. 
          I AM A FIFTH GRADE TEACHER AT PORTER RANCH COMMUNITY SCHOOL. 
          I'M ALSO A 10TH YEAR EDUCATOR AT L-A-U-S-D. 
          UM, I WANT TO BEGIN BY GROUNDING THIS CONVERSATION IN WHAT WE EXPERIENCE EVERY DAY IN OUR CLASSROOMS. WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS STRENGTHENING THE SYSTEMS OF BELONGING IN OUR SCHOOLS. 
          NOT ADDING SOMETHING EXTRA OR SEPARATE IN MY CLASSROOM, BELONGING MEANS THAT STUDENTS FEEL SAFE SHOWING UP AS THEIR FULL SELVES. 
          THIS MEANS THAT STUDENTS KNOW THEIR IDENTITY WILL NOT BE IGNORED, MISUNDERSTOOD, OR TREATED AS A PROBLEM. 
          OVER THE YEARS, I'VE NOTICED THAT MY MUSLIM STUDENTS, UM, ESPECIALLY DURING RAMADAN, NAVIGATE STRESS THAT OTHERS MAY NOT. 
          UM, THEY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT PRAYER, WHAT THEIR FASTING, UM, THEY'RE WONDERING WHETHER IT WAS OKAY TO ASK FOR WHAT THEY NEEDED, AND THEY ALSO WERE WORRIED ABOUT FEELING SEEN. 
          ONE SIMPLE, UM, ACTIVITY I INCORPORATED WAS ADDING A STANDARD ALIGNED RESOURCE FROM NEWS ELA, WHICH IS DISTRICT PROVIDED THROUGH SCHOOLOGY. 
          AND IT'S A READING COMPREHENSION TASK THAT I HAD TO ACTUALLY LOOK FOR THOUGH. 
          SO IT WASN'T SIMPLE. 
          I HAD TO LOOK FOR THIS TASK I PROVIDED TO MY STUDENTS, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND THEN HAVE PEER DISCUSSIONS WITH ONE ANOTHER. 
          UM, IT WASN'T EXTENSIVE OR TIME CONSUMING. 
          IT WAS JUST ENOUGH TO BUILD AWARENESS AND EMPATHY. 
          AND I MUST SAY THE IMPACT WAS VERY POWERFUL. 
          MUSLIM STUDENTS FELT SEEN, THEIR PEERS DEVELOPED EMPATHY, AND THE CLASSROOM CLIMATE SHIFTED IN SUCH A POSITIVE WAY. 
          WHEN STUDENTS WANT UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER, THEY 
          [00:35:01]
TREAT ONE ANOTHER WITH GREATER RESPECT. 
          I'M ALSO A VERY STRONG PROPONENT, PROPONENT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING AND INTENTIONAL ABOUT BRINGING BOOKS SUCH AS THIS ONE WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED, UM, INTO THE CLASSROOM, THESE, UM, SHAPE THE IDENTITIES OF MUSLIM STUDENTS AND FAMILIES. 
          AND THESE BOOKS ALSO HAVE, UH, STUDENTS STORIES OF BLACK LATINO IMMIGRANT L-G-B-T-Q-I STUDENTS AS WELL AS, UM, STUDENTS FROM FA VARYING FAMILY STRUCTURES. 
          ADDITIONALLY, I WORKED WITH MY PRINCIPAL AT PORTER RANCH TO ESTABLISH A DESIGNATED PRAYER SPACE DURING RAMADAN. 
          THIS WAS NOT ABOUT HAVING SPECIAL TREATMENT, IT WAS ABOUT REMOVING ANY UNNECESSARY BARRIER SO STUDENTS COULD FOCUS ON LEARNING INSTEAD OF WORRYING ABOUT BEING ABLE TO PRACTICE THEIR FAITH. 
          ONCE THAT STATE SPACE WAS EX EXISTED, STUDENTS FELT CALMER, MORE RESPECTED, AND MORE CONFIDENT, AND THEN TEACHERS ALSO FELT CLEAR ABOUT EXPECTATIONS. 
          CONFUSIONS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS ALSO DECREASED SCHOOL-WIDE. 
          OOPS, I'M VERY BIG AGAIN ON BRINGING REPRESENTATION TO MY CLASSROOM. 
          AND THIS WAS ACTUALLY FUNDED, I BELIEVE, BY, UM, A PROGRAM WITHIN LUSD THAT SENT B UH, BOX OF BOOKS. 
          AND IN THESE BOOKS THERE WAS SO MUCH CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING AVAILABLE FOR TEACHERS, BUT YOU ALSO HAD TO ASK FOR IT. 
          IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WAS AVAILABLE FOR ALL THE TEACHERS. 
          SO I REALLY LIKE THIS BECAUSE, FOR INSTANCE, THE BOOK IN THE CORNER WITH THE BASKETBALL PLAYER, IT HAD, YOU KNOW, A SOUTH ASIAN STUDENT THAT WAS MUSLIM. 
          SO STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO RELATE TO THE CHARACTERS FROM THE NOVEL, WHICH WAS VERY NICE. 
          SO HERE ARE A FEW OTHER BOOKS. 
          SO HERE'S SOME RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          BUT BEFORE I GIVE YOU THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, I WOULD LIKE TO SINCERELY ACKNOWLEDGE BOARD MEMBER GRIEGO FOR SETTING IN MOTION, IN MOTION OFFICIAL RECOGNITION OF RAMADAN LAST YEAR, MAY 11TH, 2025. 
          I CANNOT EXPRESS THAT MOMENT, UM, AS A MUSLIM EDUCATOR AND, UM, AS A MUSLIM EDUCATOR AND A PRODUCT OF LUSD ALL THROUGHOUT ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL. 
          IT MEANT FEELING SEEN BY MY OWN DISTRICT, BUT EVEN MORE POWERFUL WAS WATCHING WHAT IT MEANT FOR OUR STUDENTS. 
          FOR MANY MUSLIM CHILDREN, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THEY SAW THEIR FAITH PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED IN THEIR SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          THERE WAS AN OUTPOURING OF APPRECIATION FROM THE, FROM STUDENTS ACROSS THE DISTRICT, AND STUDENTS FINALLY FELT VISIBLE. 
          SO THESE ARE SOME, OH YEAH, THIS IS ALL THE RECOGNITION AND LOVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO, RECOMMENDATION NUMBER ONE IS FIRST A DISTRICT LEVEL RAMADAN NOTIFICATION. 
          EACH YEAR AHEAD OF RAMADAN, PRINCIPALS COULD RECEIVE LIKE A SIMPLE DISTRICT ISSUED COMMUNICATION THAT INCLUDES THE DATES, A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF ITS SIGNIFICANCE, AND HOW IT MAY IMPACT STUDENTS. 
          PRINCIPALS COULD THEN FORWARD THAT TO THEIR STAFF. 
          AND PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION ELIMINATES CONFUSION AND ENSURES CONSISTENCY ACROSS SCHOOLS. 
          NEXT CENTRAL CENTRALIZED RESOURCE LINKS. 
          IT WAS, IT WASN'T EASY TO FIND THESE, UM, RESOURCES THAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH. 
          AND I THINK BEING A MUSLIM EDUCATOR, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE EASIER FOR ME, BUT FOR OTHERS, A LOT OF MY COWORKERS WERE SAYING, HEY, RAHAN OR MS. KAHAN, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOUTUBE VIDEO TO SEARCH FOR WHAT YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN I SHARE WITH MY CLASS? UM, SO THIS NOTIFICATION COULD INCLUDE DIRECT LINKS TO AGE APPROPRIATE STANDARDS, ALIGNED MATERIALS ABOUT RAMADAN AND MUSLIM AMERICAN HISTORY. 
          UM, THE CHALLENGE IS RARELY WILLINGNESS. 
          IT'S ACCESSIBILITY FOR TEACHERS. 
          AND WE KNOW WE'RE ALL, TEACHERS ARE OVERWHELMED. 
          , WHEN S RESOURCES ARE ARE EASY TO ACCESS AND READY TO USE, INCLUSION BECOMES PRACTICAL RATHER THAN ASPIRATIONAL. 
          AND THIRD SH ADVANCE PLANNING, BECAUSE RAMADAN SHIFTS EACH YEAR, PROVIDING DATES WELL IN ADVANCE ALLOWS SCHOOLS TO PLAN THOUGHTFULLY RATHER THAN REACTIVELY. 
          I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO WORK WITH THE DISTRICT TO PROVIDE THOSE DATES EARLY SO COMMUNICATION CAN GO OUT AHEAD OF TIME. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THESE ARE NOT SWEEPING REFORMS. THESE ARE SMALL STRUCTURAL SMALL SUPPORTS, BUT STRONG, SMALL STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS CREATE CLARITY, AND CLARITY CREATES EQUITY. 
          AND AGAIN, THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT MUSLIM STUDENTS, IT'S ABOUT MODELING SOLIDARITY. 
          IT'S ABOUT DEMONSTRATING THAT ONE COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES VULNERABILITY. 
          OUR SYSTEM RESPONDS WITH AWARENESS, CARE, AND PROFESSIONALISM. 
          WHEN WE NORMALIZE PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION, ACCESSIBLE RESOURCES, AND INCLUSIVE PLANNING, WE DO NOT DIVIDE OUR SCHOOLS. 
          WE STRENGTHEN THEM. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR YOUR CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO ENSURING THAT EVERY STUDENT IN L-A-U-S-D FEELS THAT THEY ARE SEEN, VALUED, AND THEY TRULY BELONG. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WOW. 
          SO BEAUTIFUL. 
          [00:40:01]
UM, AND YES, AND THANK YOU FOR ADVOCATING, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS BECAUSE I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK THAT CAME FROM PEOPLE FROM MUSLIM STUDENTS ESPECIALLY WHO, UH, REALLY BROUGHT IT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT THIS WAS NECESSARY. 
          AND SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALL OF YOU FOR STEPPING UP AND SPEAKING UP AND REALLY PUSHING HARD. 
          THAT'S HOW CHANGE HAPPENS, RIGHT? SO I REALLY, UH, I WANNA THANK YOU AS WELL AND UM, AND I'M OPENING IT UP FOR FOLKS HERE TO, UH, HAVE A QUESTION. 
          OH, WE HAVE, OH, THERE'S THE PRESENT CALL. 
          OH, SORRY. 
          OKAY, SORRY. 
          HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          FOR OUR EDUCATOR AND I'M GONNA CALL ON OUR STUDENTS. 
          I APOLOGIZE. 
          OKAY. 
          WE HAVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UM, WE HAVE TALA WHO I MET, UH, BEFORE AND ASKED ME WHEN ARE YOU GONNA WORK ON A DAY OFF? GOOD. 
          THAT'S OUR NEXT STEP, PLEASE. 
          . 
          THANK YOU. 
          PUTTING IT OUT HERE ALREADY. 
          SO, UM, ANYWAY, WHY DON'T, UH, THIS IS OUR STUDENT FROM UCLA COMMUNITY SCHOOL. 
          OKAY. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          IS IT OKAY? BAM. 
          OKAY. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. 
          MY NAME IS TSAN. 
          I'M A SENIOR AT UCLA COMMUNITY SCHOOL, UM, AT THE RFK CAMPUS. 
          UM, AS A HOMEGROWN HOMEGROWN MUSLIM STUDENT ON MY CAMPUS, I EXPERIENCED HOMEGROWN MUSLIM STUDENT ON MY CAMPUS. 
          I EXPERIENCED FIRSTHAND HOW THE LACK OF STRUCTURED SUPPORT AND VISIBILITY AFFECT MUSLIM STUDENTS. 
          BEFORE OUR MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION EXISTED, THERE WERE NO CONSISTENT PRAYER SPACE LIT REPRESENTATION OF MUSLIMS I MUSLIM IDENTITY IN SCHOOL CLIMATE OR EVEN THE CURRICULUM. 
          AND THERE WAS LIMITED RECOGNITION OF MUSLIM HOLIDAYS LIKE RAMAN. 
          BUT AFTER WORKING WITH CARLA GRIEGO, WE GOT THAT THESE GAPS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR MUSLIM STUDENTS TO FEEL FULLY WELCOMED OR SEEN ON THEIR CAMPUS OR IN THEIR DISTRICT. 
          AS THE OLDER SISTER IN MY FAMILY AND A MUSLIM STUDENT MYSELF, I FELT RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP CHANGE THAT. 
          I HELPED ESTABLISH THE MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIATION AT MY AS A STUDENT LED ORGANIZATION ALONGSIDE OTHER STUDENT LEADERS TO CREATE A SPACE WHERE MUSLIM STUDENTS COULD PRAY, GATHER AND FEEL INCLUDED WITHOUT HAVING TO EXPLAIN OR DEFEND THEIR OWN IDENTITY. 
          THROUGHOUT THE MSA STUDENTS DEVELOPED LEADERSHIP SKILLS, SUPPORTED ONE ANOTHER AND BUILT A STRONG SENSE OF BELONGING IN THEIR CAMPUS. 
          THE SPACE FOSTER PEER SUPPORT AND ALLOWED MUSLIM STUDENTS TO SHOW UP WITH CONFIDENCE WHILE REMAINING OPEN TO THE BROADER SCHOOL COMMUNITY FOR LEARNING AND ALLYSHIP. 
          A KEY PART OF MSA WAS MEN MENTORSHIP DURING A POLITICAL CLIMATE THAT HAS INTIMIDATED MUSLIM YOUTH OF HIGHER EDUCATION, WHICH MADE THEM FEEL UNSAFE OR IS SOMEPLACE THAT THEY WILL NOT FEEL WELCOMED. 
          THE MENTORSHIP BECAME ESSENTIAL BY PARTNERING WITH MSAS AT LOCAL UNIVERSITIES. 
          WE CONNECTED STUDENTS WITH COLLEGE MENTORS WHO SHARED THEIR MUSLIM IDENTITY AND LIVED EXPERIENCES. 
          THIS SHOW, THIS SHOWED STUDENTS THAT THEIR IDENTITY IS NOT A BARRIER FOR THEIR EDUCATION, BUT RATHER A STRENGTH THAT COMES WITHIN IT. 
          WHILE THIS PIECE WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND A UNIQUELY SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL, NOT ALL CAMPUSES SHARE THIS EXPERIENCE OR SUPPORT SYSTEM. 
          MANY MUSLIM STUDENTS ACROSS ACROSS L-A-U-S-D DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME LEVEL OF SUPPORT. 
          BECAUSE THIS SYSTEM ARE NOT CONSISTENTLY ESTABLISHED AT A DISTRICT LEVEL, INCLUSION SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DEPEND ON STUDENTS HAVING TO CREATE THESE SPACES FROM SCRATCH. 
          AS A RESULT OF MSA STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, INCREASED CONFIDENCE GREW IN THEIR OWN IDENTITY, AND OUR SCHOOL CLIMATE BECAME MORE INCLUSIVE. 
          OUR CURRICULUM BECAME MORE REPRESENTATIVE. 
          PEERS BEGAN. 
          AG BEGAN ACKNOWLEDGING RAMADAN AND ADMINISTRATION AND TEACHERS CREATE A VISIBLE SPACE FOR PRAYER MAKING MUSLIM STUDENTS FEEL PART OF THE COMMUNITY, NOT A PART OF IT. 
          TO CLOSE. 
          MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIATIONS ARE NOT JUST CLUBS OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES I CAN PUT ON MY BRA SHEET, BUT THEY ARE NECESSARY SPACES THAT AFFIRM MUSLIM IDENTITY, STRENGTH, AND INCLUSION. 
          BUILD CIVIC LEADERSHIP ACROSS CAMPUSES AND FOSTER ALLYSHIP AND UNDERSTANDING IN A TIME WHERE DIVISION IS VERY MUCH SEEN, MSAS GIVE STUDENTS COMMUNITY, THEY GIVE THEM VOICE AND THEY GIVE THEM THE CONFIDENCE TO BE ABLE TO LEAD IN THEIR OWN IDENTITY. 
          AND IN MOMENTS OF SOCIAL POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY, PROVIDE STABILITY AND BELONGING. 
          BUT STUDENT LEADERSHIP CANNOT EXIST IN ISOLATION. 
          SORRY, I FORGOT TO SKIP THE SLIDES. 
          IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT EVERY SCHOOL HAVE THIS DEDICATED, A SCHOOL DEDICATED CLIMATE ADVOCATE, A STAFF MEMBER WHOSE ROLE IS TO INTENTIONALLY FOSTER A SPACE WHERE A SAFE AND POSITIVE AND ILU AND INCLUSIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT, WHICH MIGHT OWN SCHOOL CLIMATE ADVOCATE HELPED US DEVELOP. 
          A CLIMATE ADVOCATE CAN COORDINATE PROGRAMS THAT CENTER STUDENT WELLBEING, PLAN SCHOOLWIDE INITIATIVES THAT UPLIFT IDENTITY AND BELONGING AND SUPPORT STUDENT LED GROUPS SUCH AS THE 
          [00:45:01]
BLACK STUDENT UNION, MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIATIONS, AND OTHER IDENTITY FOCUSED GROUPS. 
          THEY CAN ALSO HELP BUILD STRUCTURED MENTORSHIP PATHWAYS BY CONNECTING STUDENTS WITH UNIVERSITY ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS, ENSURING THAT INCLUSION IS NOT JUST REACTIVE, BUT INTENTIONAL, STRUCTURED AND SUSTAINED. 
          CREATING SPACES LIKE MSAS IN SCHOOLS SHOULDN'T BE SOLELY IRRESPONSIBILITY OF STUDENTS. 
          WHEN IT IS SUPPORTED BY DESIGN STAFF AND INST, UH, INSTITUTIONALS STRUCTURED SUPPORT, IT BECOMES SYSTEMIC, GUARANTEED, AND A CLEAR INCLUSION ACTION DEMONSTRATING RESPECT OF THE DIVERSITY OUR DISTRICT HOLDS. 
          IF WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT BELONGING, THEN WE MUST RESOURCE IT. 
          IF WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT SAFETY, THEN WE MUST IN INSTITUTIONALIZE IT. 
          IF WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT JOY, THEN WE MUST DESIGN FOR IT. 
          BECAUSE WHEN STUDENTS FEEL AFFIRMED IN WHO THEY ARE, THEY DON'T HAVE TO SURVIVE IN SCHOOL, BUT THEY CAN LEAD IN THEIR IDENTITY AND FEEL VERY HAPPY IN WHO THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY ARE. 
          AND THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH, TAH. 
          AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM ANOTHER STUDENT, ESMAN REJA, ALSO FROM UCLA COMMUNITY SCHOOL. 
          . 
          GOOD AFTERNOON CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS. 
          MY NAME IS ASHMAN AND I'M A SENIOR AT UCLA COMMUNITY SCHOOL. 
          I'M A MUSLIM, BUT I'M ALSO AN IMMIGRANT. 
          AND WHEN YOU'RE BOTH, YOU LEARN VERY QUICKLY WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO WALK. 
          WAIT, OH, WHICH ONE? WAIT. 
          I'M A MUSLIM, BUT I'M ALSO AN IMMIGRANT. 
          AND WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT, YOU LEARN VERY QUICKLY WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO WALK INTO A ROOM AND REALIZE THAT PEOPLE ALREADY HAVE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT YOU BEFORE YOU EVEN SPEAK. 
          WHEN I FIRST MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES, I HAD TO ADJUST TO A NEW SCHOOL SYSTEM, A NEW CULTURE, A NEW LANGUAGE, AND A NEW SENSE OF IDENTITY BACK HOME. 
          I NEVER QUESTIONED WHETHER I BELONGED, BUT HERE I STARTED TO NOTICE HOW EASILY SOMEONE LIKE ME COULD BECOME INVISIBLE. 
          NOT BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE INTENTIONALLY CRUEL, BUT BECAUSE THE CURRICULUM AND EVEN THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND ME DIDN'T ALWAYS MAKE SPACE FOR STUDENTS LIKE US. 
          IN MANY CLASSROOMS, MUSLIMS ARE NOT MENTIONED IN HISTORY WHEN IT INVOLVES TERRORISM, WAR OR CONFLICT. 
          IMMIGRANTS ARE SPOKEN ABOUT LIKE STATISTICS, AND OUR CULTURES ARE TREATED LIKE SIDE NOTES. 
          AND WHEN THAT IS THE ONLY WAY YOU SEE YOURSELF REPRESENTED IN EDUCATION, YOU START TO FEEL LIKE YOUR IDENTITY IS SOMETHING PEOPLE STUDY BUT DON'T TRULY UNDERSTAND. 
          AND NOW WITH INCREASED IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT TACTICS AND GROWING FEAR IN IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, THAT FEELING HAS BECOME HEAVIER. 
          MANY STUDENTS COME TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY CARRYING ANXIETY, WORRYING ABOUT THEIR FAMILY SAFETY, WORRYING ABOUT WHETHER THEIR HOME LIFE IS STABLE. 
          STUDENTS, NO SCHOOL SHOULD BE THE ONE PLACE THAT MAKES THEM FEEL PROTECTED. 
          BUT THAT PROTECTION CAN'T ONLY COME FROM PHYSICAL SPACES LIKE A PRAYER ROOM. 
          IT ALSO COMES FROM WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT. 
          BECAUSE HATE DOES NOT BEGIN WITH VIOLENCE. 
          IT BEGINS WITH IGNORANCE. 
          AND IGNORANCE GROWS WHEN STUDENTS ARE NEVER TAUGHT THE FULL TRUTH ABOUT THE PEOPLE SITTING NEXT TO THEM. 
          THAT IS WHY PARTNERSHIPS MATTER. 
          I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE INTERCULTURAL NETWORK GROUP, KNOWN AS ING, THE MUSLIM CIVIC COALITION, AND THE CENTER FOR PREVENTION OF HATE AND BULLYING. 
          THESE ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY STANDARDS, ALIGNED EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES THAT HUMANIZE MUSLIM IDENTITY AND IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCES. 
          THEIR MATERIALS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO REPLACE EXISTING CURRICULUM, BUT TO STRENGTHEN AND SUPPLEMENT IT IN A THOUGHTFUL ACADEMICALLY SOUND WAYS LOVE IGS CONTENT ALIGN ALIGNS DIRECTLY WITH THE TEAMS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES AND THE UCLA NATIONAL CENTER FOR HISTORY IN THE SCHOOLS. 
          THIS MEANS EDUCATORS ARE NOT STEPPING OUTSIDE INSTRUCTIONAL STANDARDS, BUT THEY ARE DEEPENING THEM WHILE DISTRICT PARTNER WITH, WHEN DISTRICTS PARTNER WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THESE, WE EQUIP TEACHERS WITH CREDIBLE, READY TO USE TOOLS. 
          STUDENT LEADERSHIP MATTERS, CLIMATE ADVOCACY MATTERS, BUT SUSTAINABLE INCLUSION ALSO REQUIRES STRONG CURRICULAR SUPPORT. 
          WHEN ALL THREE WORK TOGETHER, STUDENT VOICE, INSTITUTIONAL CLIMATE SUPPORT, AND ACADEMICALLY ALIGNED RESOURCES, INCLUSION BECOMES LASTING. 
          MM-HMM  WHEN STUDENTS SEE THEMSELVES REPRESENTED ACCURATELY AND RESPECTFULLY, THEY FEEL SAFER, THEY ENGAGE MORE, THEY FEEL CONNECTED, THEY BEGIN TO BELIEVE THEIR STORY MATTERS. 
          WHEN THEY SEE STEREOTYPES, THEY WITHDRAW, THEY DISENGAGE. 
          I DID NOT GROW UP WITH THAT KIND OF REPRESENTATION IN MY OWN SCHOOLING. 
          I DID NOT SEE MY OWN IDENTITY REFLECTED IN MY CURRICULUM. 
          BUT I HOPE THE NEXT GENERATION OF STUDENTS EXPERIENCE SOMETHING MORE REPRESENTATIVE AND HONEST IN THEIR SOCIAL SCIENCE CLASSES. 
          I WISH THAT FOR MY YOUNGER COUSINS THAT ARE STILL IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. 
          AND INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM IS 
          [00:50:01]
NOT JUST AN ACADEMIC ISSUE. 
          IT IS ABOUT WELLBEING. 
          IT IS ABOUT SAFETY. 
          IT IS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH. 
          BELONGING SHOULD NOT DEPEND ON WHETHER STUDENTS ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO ASK FOR IT. 
          IT SHOULD BE GUARANTEED. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WOW. 
          I'M SO IMPRESSED YOU HAD RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EDUCATORS. 
          THAT IS AWESOME. 
          WOW. 
          GAVE US SOME LINKS FOR LESSON PLANS. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          ALRIGHT, SO NOW SAMIR  IS HERE ALSO FROM UCLA COMMUNITY SCHOOL. 
          UH, GOOD  CU CURRICULUM, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND BOARD MEMBER CARLA DIEGO. 
          MY NAME IS SAMIR. 
          I'M A SENIOR AT UCLA COMMUNITY SCHOOL, ALSO PRESENTING DISTRICT FIVE. 
          I'M ALSO A MUSLIM. 
          MY PH IS NOT SOMETHING I PRACTICE. 
          IT SHAPES HOW I THINK, HOW I TREAT PEOPLE, HOW I MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD. 
          IT'S PART OF MY IDENTITY. 
          BUT WHEN I FIRST MOVED TO THIS COUNTRY, I WAS TOLD SOMETHING THAT I'D NEVER FORGET. 
          I WAS TOLD TO HIDE IT. 
          I WAS WARNED ABOUT ISLAMOPHOBIA. 
          SO WHEN WAS TIME TO PRAY, I WOULD QUIETLY GO TO THE LIBRARY. 
          I TRY TO DISAPPEAR. 
          BUT EVEN WHEN YOU ARE SILENT, PEOPLE NOTICE I FELT THE STAIRS. 
          I STARTED TO FEEL EMBARRASSED ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS SACRED TO ME. 
          HIDING WHO I WAS DID NOT MAKE ME FEEL SAFE. 
          IT MADE ME FEEL INVISIBLE. 
          WHAT MADE IT WORSE WAS THAT IN ALL OF MY YEARS OF SCHOOLING, I NEVER SAW MUSLIM MUSLIMS REPRESENTED IN MY CURRICULUM. 
          WE DID NOT LEARN ABOUT MUSLIM CONTRIBUTIONS TO STORY. 
          FOR EXAMPLE, THE NAME OF MUHAMMAD IS THE MOST COMMON NAME IN THE WORLD. 
          THAT TELLS YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THE GLOBAL PRESENCE AND INFLUENCE OF MUSLIMS. YET IN OUR CLASSROOM THAT REALITY IS RARELY ACKNOWLEDGED. 
          I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO LEARN ABOUT KAREEM ABBU JAMAR, THAT NOT JUST AS AN NBA LEGEND, BUT AS A SCHOLAR AND WRITER WHO SPEAKS ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVIL RIGHTS, OR ABOUT ILHAN OMAR, ONE OF THE FIRST MUSLIM MOVEMENT ELECTED TO CONGRESS OR IBTIHAJ MUHAMMAD, THE FIRST AMERICAN OLYMPIA TO COMPETE IN A HIJAB. 
          THESE ARE AMERICAN STORIES. 
          THESE ARE PART OF OUR NATIONAL STORY. 
          SILENCE CREATES SPACE FOR MISINFORMATION. 
          AND WHEN STUDENTS ARE TAUGHT THE TRUTH, ST STEREOTYPES TAKE OVER. 
          I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE FEELING THIS MANY MUSLIM STUDENTS AT MY SCHOOL WERE CARRYING THE SAME WEIGHT. 
          SO WE MADE A CHOICE. 
          WE DECIDED NOT TO SHRINK. 
          WE ASKED FOR SOMETHING SIMPLE, A DEDICATED PRAYER SPACE. 
          AND WHEN OUR ADMINISTRATION SAID YES, IT CHANGED EVERYTHING THEY DID, NOT JUST GIVE US A ROOM, THEY GAVE US DIGNITY. 
          WITH THAT SUPPORT, WE FOUNDED THE MUSLIM STUDENTS ALLIANCE. 
          MUSLIM STUDENTS FELT EMPOWERED. 
          NON-MUSLIM STUDENTS JOINED TO LEARN. 
          TEACHERS LEANED IN WITH CURIOSITY INSTEAD OF CONFUSION. 
          BEFORE RAMADAN, OUR PRINCIPAL EVEN ASKED US HOW THE SCHOOL COULD BETTER SUPPORT FASTING STUDENTS. 
          FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE NOT EXPLAINING OURSELVES DEFENSIVELY. 
          WE WERE LEADING. 
          AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE BOARD MEMBER CARLA GRIEGO FOR RECOGNIZING RAMADAN AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL. 
          THIS DECISION MATTERED MORE THAN YOU THINK. 
          FOR THE FIRST TIME, THOUSANDS OF MUSLIM STUDENTS ACROSS L-A-U-S-D SAW THEIR FATE ACKNOWLEDGED NOT AS SOMETHING FOREIGN OR CONTROVERSIAL, BUT AS SOMETHING WORTHY OF RESPECT. 
          RAMADAN IS NOT JUST ABOUT FASTING. 
          HE'S ABOUT DISCIPLINE. 
          HE'S ABOUT REFLECTION. 
          HE'S ABOUT BECOMING A BETTER HUMAN BEING. 
          AND WHEN THE DISTRICT RECOGNIZES IT TOLD US THAT WE DO NOT NEED TO BE HIDDEN. 
          OUR REQUESTS TODAY ARE NOT RADICAL. 
          THEY'RE HUMAN. 
          ASKING FOR A PAIR SPACE IS NOT POLITICAL. 
          ASKING TO TAKE A MEAL HOME TO BREAK FAST IS NOT POLITICAL. 
          ASKING TO SEE OURSELVES REFLECTED IN WHAT WE SEE WITH WHAT WHAT WE ARE TAUGHT IS NOT POLITICAL. 
          IT IS ABOUT SAFETY. 
          IT'S ABOUT DIGNITY, IT'S ABOUT BELONGING. 
          INCLUSION SHOULD NOT DEPEND ON WHETHER STUDENTS ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES. 
          IT SHOULD BE GUARANTEED, ESPECIALLY IN TODAY'S POLITICAL CLIMATE. 
          OUR SCHOOLS MUST LEAD WITH EDUCATION, EMPATHY, AND COURAGE. 
          BECAUSE WHEN STUDENTS ARE TAUGHT TO UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER, THEY DO NOT GROW UP TO FEAR ONE ANOTHER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          AND I THINK I MISSED MR. SAEED, RIGHT? SO LET'S, UM, HEAR FROM MR. SAEED AND THEN AFTER THAT WE WILL GO AHEAD AND, UM, HAVE SOME CONVERSATION AND SOME Q AND A. 
          SO MAKE SURE YOU'RE TAKING YOUR NOTES AND, UH, WRITING DOWN YOUR QUESTIONS. 
          THERE IT IS. 
          THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. 
          UM, AND UH, SPECIFICALLY THANK YOU TO, UH, BOARD MEMBER GRIEGO AND YOU BILL FOR HAVING US. 
          UM, MY NAME IS FIAZ BERT SAYED. 
          I'M A PSW PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL WORKER AT CLEVELAND CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL. 
          I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING PART OF LUSD FOR 20 YEARS NOW AND DOING THIS WONDERFUL WORK WITH ALL OF 
          [00:55:01]
OUR STUDENTS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, MY ROLE AS A PSW IS TO SUPPORT STUDENTS CHILDREN INFORMING HEALTHY IDENTITIES IN ESTABLISHING THEMSELVES AND GROWING TO BE THEIR TRUE SELF. 
          AND SOMETHING THAT ADOLESCENTS AND CHILDREN THEY DEAL WITH. 
          AND, AND THEN GROWING UP IS QUESTIONS LIKE, WHO AM I RIGHT? DO I BELONG? IS IT SAFE TO BE WHO I AM? AND FOR MUSLIM STUDENTS, THOSE QUESTIONS AT TIMES CAN WEIGH HEAVY. 
          UM, MY SON, WHO IS A 10TH GRADE STUDENT AT, AT THE SCHOOL I'M AT, WE WERE DRIVING HOME JUST LAST SEMESTER AND HE HAD SHARED WITH ME, UM, HE HAD ASKED A QUESTION. 
          HE WAS VERY KIND OF CONFUSED, AND HE SAID, WHY DO PEOPLE SAY MUSLIMS? AND WHEN HE SAID THAT TO ME, IT TOOK ME BACK TO MY DAYS IN L-A-U-S-D AND THINKING ABOUT HOW YEAH, YOU KNOW, IT, HE WAS LIKE, IT'S SPELLED M-U-S-L-I-M. 
          WHY NOT SAY IT THAT WAY? AND SO JUST THE IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, SIMPLE THINGS, BASIC INFORMATION AND HOW THAT CHANGES THE PERSPECTIVE AND HOW THAT BRINGS ABOUT A SENSE OF BELONGING AND COMFORT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF STIGMA ALREADY IN MENTAL HEALTH AND THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY HAS THAT SAME CHALLENGE AS WELL. 
          UM, ADDING THE PRESSURES OF BEING VISIBLY DIFFERENT, UM, IT, YOU KNOW, IT CAN CAUSE THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULTY. 
          IT CAN CAUSE THAT MUCH MORE CONFUSION. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, MUSLIM STUDENTS OFTEN THEY CAN'T REALLY ARTICULATE THEIR FEELINGS, UH, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY JUST HAVE THIS SENSE. 
          THEY KNOW THAT THEY FEEL DIFFERENT OR ALONE. 
          AND SO NORMALIZING THEIR EXPERIENCES IS VERY, VERY VALUABLE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO ISLAMOPHOBIA, ISLAMOPHOBIA, IT'S OFTEN GROWN FROM NOT SO MUCH OF, UM, HATE BUT MISINFORMATION. 
          AS SOMEONE MENTIONED EARLIER, THE IDEA OF IGNORANCE. 
          AND FROM TALKING, UM, FROM, FROM TALKING ABOUT THESE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES WITH CHILDREN, WITH STUDENTS, YOU GET THE SENSE THAT THE MORE INFORMATION THAT'S GIVEN, AND AGAIN, JUST THAT BASIC INFORMATION, IT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE. 
          AND IT REALLY HELPS IN FEELING LIKE YOU ARE NOT DIFFERENT, BUT YOU BELONG. 
          AND SO WITH THE MONTH OF RAMADAN, REALLY IT'S A MATTER OF, UM, JUST TEACHING THE VALUES, RIGHT? RAMADAN IS A GREAT TIME FOR MUSLIMS. IT'S A VERY, UM, UH, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHAT ISLAM IS. 
          AND SO WITH, WITH RAMADAN, YOU GET THIS SENSE OF UNDERSTANDING, LIKE SELF-DISCIPLINE. 
          YOU GET THIS SENSE OF UNDERSTANDING HOW TO BE KIND. 
          THAT'S KIND OF WHAT MUSLIMS, UM, THAT'S WHAT WE KIND OF REPRESENT IN THE MONTH OF RAMADAN. 
          AND SO HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN A, IN A, IN A CLASSROOM FORMAT, IT CAN REALLY KIND OF BRING ABOUT A COLLECTIVE UNDERSTANDING AS WELL AS COMFORT FOR STUDENTS THAT ARE IN THE CLASSROOM. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, LASTLY, I WANT TO CONCLUDE WITH, UM, MY DECISION TO WORK WITHIN LUSD, UM, WAS BECAUSE I HAVE PASSION TO HELP STUDENTS, STUDENTS GROW, STUDENTS BECOME THEIR BEST SELF. 
          AND I WANNA BE THERE FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, AND I WANT NO STUDENT TO FEEL LIKE THEY ARE THE OTHER IN ANY CAPACITY WITH OUR, THE DIVERSITY THAT WE HAVE, THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SCHOOLS, THAT EVERYONE TO FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG. 
          UH, BUT BELONGING SHOULDN'T BE AN INDIVIDUAL ADULT RESPONSIBILITY, BUT IT SHOULD BE A, A COLLECTIVE APPROACH THAT WE TAKE FROM AN, UH, SYSTEMATIC PERSPECTIVE. 
          AND WHEN SCHOOLS LEAD WITH EDUCATION, EMPATHY, AND CLARITY, UM, STUDENTS DON'T, THEY DON'T GROW FEARING DIFFERENCES, BUT THEY ACTUALLY GROW ACCEPTING IT AND EMBRACING IT AND CELEBRATING DIFFERENCES. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          WOW. 
          UH, WHAT WONDERFUL PRESENTATIONS FROM ALL OF YOU. 
          I WANNA OPEN IT UP FOR FOLKS. 
          I, AFTER THIS CONVERSATION, WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM OUR VERY OWN, UM, STAFF IN L-A-U-S-D AND HEAR WHAT THEY'RE DOING, UM, HERE IN L-A-U-S-D. 
          BUT, UM, I HAVE SLOT FOR THREE FOLKS TO COMMENT, UH, OR QUESTION ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE FOR ANY OF OUR SPEAKERS. 
          YES, TREVOR. 
          HELLO. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          HI EVERYONE. 
          I'M TREVOR. 
          UM, I HAD A QUESTION FOR MS. KAHN. 
          UM, YOU DESCRIBED SOMETHING THAT REALLY ECHOED, UH, WHAT WE WERE HEARING IN OUR LAST MEETING FROM OUR L-G-B-T-Q EDUCATORS, WHICH, UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT AS A MUSLIM EDUCATOR THAT YOU PARTICULARLY UNDERSTAND AND LIKE ARE WILLING 
          [01:00:01]
TO TAKE ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ENSURING THAT YOUR MUSLIM STUDENTS ARE SEEN AND THAT RESOURCES WHERE RESOURCES ARE NOT EASY OR ACCESSIBLE OR INSTITUTIONALIZED. 
          UM, SO I'M WONDERING IF YOU COULD JUST TALK ABOUT WHETHER IT'S LIKE FORMAL ORGANIZATIONS OR INFORMAL NETWORKS. 
          WHERE HAVE YOU FOUND SUPPORT AS A MUSLIM EDUCATOR, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK, UH, THE DISTRICT CAN DO TO BETTER EMPOWER AND AMPLIFY THE WORK THAT MUSLIM EDUCATORS ARE ALREADY DOING TO ENSURE THAT, UM, STUDENTS ARE SEEN AND INCLUDED IN INSTRUCTION? THANK YOU SO MUCH, TREVOR. 
          UM, I JUST BELIEVE LIKE CURRICULUM, CKLA, IT'S WHAT I'VE SEEN WITH CKLA IN THE LOWER GRADES. 
          IT'S REALLY SHOWING DIVERSITY. 
          YOU KNOW, IT'S SHOWING OTHER CULTURES AND OTHER, UM, PEOPLE OF COLOR. 
          BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN SO MUCH OF MUSLIM IDENTITIES EVEN LIKE CURRICULUM THAT WE GET NOVELS, TEACHERS, WE HAVE TO GO ASK FOR IT. 
          WE HAVE TO, FOR THAT NOVEL THAT I HAD WHEN STARTER SCATTERED, FORTUNATELY THE SCHOOL I WORK FOR, MANY OF THE PARENTS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE. 
          SO THEY, THEY WERE THE ONES THAT BOUGHT THE BOOK FOR THIS, THEIR CHILD. 
          BUT THAT'S NOT THE POSSIBILITY FOR ALL SCHOOLS IN LAOD. 
          SO WHAT CAN, HOW CAN L-A-O-S-D PROVIDE THOSE TYPES OF NOVELS? WHAT DO WE DO AS EDUCATORS? DO WE GO TO THE PRINCIPAL AND ASK THESE QUESTIONS? OR WHO WOULD WE CONTACT? THAT'S ALSO MY QUESTION, UM, AS AN EDUCATOR. 
          SO WHAT SUPPORTS CAN WE COME, LIKE, SO THIS COMMITTEE'S A GREAT COMMITTEE THAT WE HAVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, I, YES SPEAKERS. 
          UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WONDERFUL PRESENTATION. 
          HONESTLY, IT, IT HITS OBVIOUSLY VERY CLOSE TO HOME AS THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS KNOW THAT I AM ALSO A PRACTICING MUSLIM AND WE'RE ALL FASTING RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? AND MY, MY ENERGY BATTERY IS STARTING TO GO WOO LITTLE LOW. 
          SO BEFORE THAT GETS TO THAT, BUT HONESTLY, THIS REALLY IS VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION TO HAVE BECAUSE I THINK, LIKE MANY OF THE SPEAKERS SAYS, IT'S REALLY JUST ABOUT VISIBILITY AND REPRESENTATION FOR THESE MUSLIM STUDENTS WHO, AGAIN, GROWING UP AND ALSO BEING A PRODUCT OF L-A-U-S-T AND HAVING MUSLIM CHILDREN WHO ARE FASTING, YOU REALLY DO, DO FEEL INVISIBLE IN A LOT OF WAYS. 
          AND MAYBE IT MIGHT NOT BE INTENTIONAL OR WHATNOT, BUT IT REALLY IS AFFECTING, YOU KNOW, MUSLIM STUDENTS. 
          AND IT'S VERY DIVERSE, RIGHT? THERE'S AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSLIM STUDENTS, LATINX, IT'S, IT'S NOT JUST A MONOLITHIC GROUP. 
          AND SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, UM, TO MR. SAYED FROM A PSW PERSPECTIVE, DO YOU HAVE ANY ANECDOTES OR STORIES ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FROM THE MENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVE, HAS THIS AFFECTED MUSLIM STUDENTS? YOU KNOW, DO YOU, DO YOU SEE THE STIGMA OR THE, BECAUSE OF MISINFORMATION STEREOTYPES THAT ARE AFFECTING MUSLIM STUDENTS IN GENERAL? UH, IT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. 
          UM, YES. 
          YOU KNOW, YOU'LL SEE, UM, DIFFERENT STUDENTS, UM, THAT STRUGGLE, UH, WITH CERTAIN TYPES OF CONVERSATIONS THAT, THAT HAPPEN IN THE CLASSROOM. 
          ONE STUDENT, UM, HAD EXPRESSED TO ME, AND THIS STUDENT, MIND YOU, SHE'S IN 11TH GRADE AT THE TIME SHE WAS SHARING IT WITH ME. 
          UM, BUT THE INCIDENT THAT SHE HAD EXPERIENCED WAS WHEN SHE WAS IN, IN, UM, IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AT SOME TIME. 
          AND SHE HAD SHARED THAT AT THAT TIME SHE WAS WEARING A HEADSCARF AS SOME, UM, WOMEN DOING ISLAM. 
          AND SHE, UM, THEY WERE SPEAKING, UH, IT WAS NINE 11, SO THERE WAS COM COMMEMORATION ABOUT NINE 11. 
          AND, AND, YOU KNOW, REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS AND, AND JUST KIND OF REFLECTING ON THAT PROFOUND EVENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY. 
          AND, UH, SHE WAS SHARING THAT AS THAT, AS THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT IT, THE TEACHER WASN'T REALLY BEING CULTURALLY SENSITIVE AND REALLY KIND OF GENERALIZING VERSUS, UM, KEEPING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT, UM, UH, THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD DONE A VERY, YOU KNOW, HORRIFIC ACT. 
          AND SO SHE WAS SHARING WITH ME THAT, IN THAT CONVERSATION, WHEN IT WAS GENERALIZED AS MUSLIMS, SHE WAS VERY CLOSED OFF. 
          AND IT TOOK HER YEARS TO, UM, TO REALLY KIND OF GROW OUT OF THAT DISCOMFORT WITH WHO SHE IS. 
          AND AS, AS AN 11TH GRADER, SHE WAS SPEAKING TO ME, OR ACTUALLY, EXCUSE ME, SHE WAS A 12TH GRADER. 
          'CAUSE SHE WAS WANTING TO WRITE, UM, HER UNIVERSITY, UM, ENTRANCE ESSAY ON THAT EXPERIENCE AND HOW SHE, AT THIS TIME AS A SENIOR, SHE WAS COMING OUT OF HER SHELL AND KIND OF EMBRACING WHO SHE IS, BUT IT TOOK HER THAT MUCH TIME TO REALLY KIND OF GROW PAST THAT EXPERIENCE. 
          AND SO JUST HAVING THAT AWARENESS, UM, AND AGAIN, IT GOES BACK TO DEALING WITH MISINFORMATION, RIGHT? 
          [01:05:01]
BASIC INFORMATION AS WELL AS FACTUAL INFORMATION, UM, AND GEN AND STANDARDIZING THAT WHICH, WHICH WOULD HELP PREVENT SUCH THINGS, UH, LIKE THIS FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND I, I ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO ASK QUESTIONS OF OUR STUDENTS WHO SPOKE SO ELOQUENTLY. 
          YES. 
          . 
          OH, UM, Y YOUR GUYS' PRESENTATIONS WERE AMAZING. 
          I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I ARTICULATED THIS QUESTION RIGHT. 
          UM, FOR THIS ONE RIGHT HERE, UM, WHAT, WHAT WAS YOUR NAME AGAIN? ASHMAN. 
          UH, YOU ARE A CYCLE BREAKER. 
          I CAN FEEL THAT IN YOUR ENERGY, BUT THE QUESTION THAT I WANTED TO ASK YOU IS, IN WHAT WAYS MIGHT UNRESOLVED RELIGIOUS TRAUMA INFLUENCE A STUDENT'S PERCEPTIONS OF, OF AN INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES? WAIT, COULD YOU PLEASE REPEAT THAT QUESTION AGAIN? YEAH. 
          I DIDN'T HEAR IT LIKE TWICE BEFORE. 
          OH. 
          UM, AND THE REASON WHY I'M BRINGING THIS UP, I THINK, UM, THE PSW OVER THERE SAID IT, AND HE TALKED ABOUT TRAUMA. 
          UM, A LOT OF INTERFAITH WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT INTERFAITH, HOW WE IDENTIFY WITH ONE ANOTHER. 
          I GREW UP A CHRISTIAN, SO THE WAY THAT I IDENTIFIED WITH OTHER RELIGIONS HAD A DISTORTED VIEW. 
          AND UNTIL I, I GREW UP TO KIND OF FIND MYSELF, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND OTHER RELIGIONS. 
          AND SO, UM, I GUESS I'M ASKING FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE, SO I'LL ASK AGAIN, IN WHAT WAYS MIGHT UNRESOLVED RELIGIOUS TRAUMA INFLUENCE A STUDENT'S PERCEPTIONS OF AND INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES? I HOPE THAT MAKES SENSE NOW, WELL BEFORE, BEFORE COMING HERE, BECAUSE MY, MY THOUGHTS OF LIKE, PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY WAS BASED ON SOCIAL MEDIA STEREOTYPES. 
          SO WHEN I IMMIGRATED HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME, I WAS ALWAYS SCARED, LIKE, WHAT IF I FACE ISLAMOPHOBIA BECAUSE OF NINE 11? AND WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THAT? AND I WAS ALWAYS SUPER SCARED AND I DIDN'T REALLY WANNA SHARE THAT I WAS A MUSLIM. 
          BUT WHEN I MOVED HERE, THAT, THAT PERCEPTION CHANGED BECAUSE OF THE OTHER MUSLIMS THAT WE HAD THAT ALWAYS LIKE, ENCOURAGED ME THAT YOU SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID TO EMBRACE IT. 
          AND THAT INSTEAD OF SHYING AWAY AND HIDING, IT'S BETTER IF WE LIKE, TELL EVERYONE THAT THESE ARE JUST MISCONCEPTIONS THAT WE HAVE MISUNDERSTANDINGS THAT WE CAN MAKE BETTER BY, I GUESS, INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AND COMMUNICATION. 
          SO AN EXAMPLE OF THAT WOULD BE, I GUESS LAST SEMESTER AT OUR SCHOOL, AT OUR MSA IN OUR BIBLE STUDY, WE HAD AN INTERFAITH DIALOGUE TO DISCUSS SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES SO THAT PEOPLE CAN KNOW MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          UM, IF ANYBODY DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO SPEAK IN THIS ROUND, WE'LL YOU, DO YOU WANNA ADD SOMETHING TREVOR? OH, COMMON OR QUESTIONS? HI EVERYONE. 
          MY NAME IS JUAN, UH, SCHOOL SITE PRINCIPAL HERE IN PICO UNION AT MAGNOLIA AVENUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. 
          UH, SO MY LENS IS IN THE COMMITTEE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW CURRICULUM, UH, IS IMPLEMENTED AND HOW OUR ADULTS AT THE SCHOOL SITE CAN USE OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS BASED ON WHERE THEY COME FROM AND THEIR IDENTITIES. 
          AND SO, AS I LISTENED TO YOUR VOICES AND YOUR EXPERIENCES, THAT WAS VERY POWERFUL TO ME TO HEAR HOW YOU HAVE LED, UM, NOT ONLY YOUR COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO MAYBE EVEN IN YOUR FAMILY, RIGHT? YOUR, SOMEONE MENTIONED THEIR SIBLINGS OR COUSINS IN SCHOOL. 
          SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE WORK FOR US AT THE SCHOOL SITE, TRYING TO SAY, FOR INSTANCE, IF WE HAVE A CURRICULUM THAT'S STANDARDIZED OR DISTRICT ADOPTED OR APPROVE AND SO FORTH, HOW DO WE USE THAT AS A LEVERAGE TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS AND HELP THEM REALLY BUILD IDENTITY AND SUPPORT THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF WHO THEY ARE AS WELL? AND THAT'S HARD TO DO FOR SOME TEACHERS WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND THE STUDENTS SOMETIMES. 
          SO SEEING THE WAY YOU'VE REPRESENTED YOUR VOICES AND YOUR EXPERIENCES WAS VERY POWERFUL TO ME. 
          HERE. 
          I'M, I'M SURE TEACHERS HAVE SUPPORTED YOU IN VARIOUS WAYS, OR SOME ADULTS. 
          SO I THINK AT THE SCHOOL SITE, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS WHERE WE CAN DO THAT TO SUPPORT STUDENTS AND HELP BUILD THEIR IDENTITIES, THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THEMSELVES, AND, AND FEEL PROUD OF WHO THEY ARE, REGARDLESS OF WHO THAT IS. 
          SO IN PICO UNION, UH, I DO HAVE NEW MUSLIM FAMILIES. 
          VERY FEW I THINK HAVE FIVE NOW, BUT IT, SO IT'S NEW TO US. 
          SO LATINOS, WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND LIKE, WHO ARE THE KIDS, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE COMMUNITY AND THE KIDS ASK ME, MR. REYES, , LIKE, WHERE ARE THEY FROM? SO WE'RE TRYING TO HELP EACH OTHER UNDERSTAND AND JUST EMBRACE EACH OTHER REGARDLESS OF WHERE WE'RE FROM. 
          BUT THANK YOU GUYS FOR REPRESENTING THE VOICES. 
          THAT WAS PRETTY, PRETTY AWESOME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, AND NOW WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM THE DIS UH, FROM OUR DISTRICT STAFF, UM, WHO WILL SHARE SOME OF THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING AROUND THESE, UM, ISSUES AND, UM, HOW TO BRING JOY, UH, TO OUR CLASSROOMS AND 
          [01:10:01]
IDENT AND EMBRACING IDENTITIES AND, UM, WHAT YOU JUST SHARED, MR. REYES, IT JUST IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHY WE NEED TO SCALE THIS KIND OF WORK, RIGHT? BECAUSE, UM, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS AT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, IN ALL OF OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE THAT IS LIKE WHAT THE STUDENTS WERE SHARING IS THAT WHEN THAT IS HAPPENING, THAT'S WHEN KIDS FEEL SAFE, RIGHT? AND NOT ONLY THE STUDENTS, UM, THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO BRING IN, BUT JUST TO EVERYBODY IN GENERAL. 
          THERE IS THAT KNOWLEDGE AND THAT AWARENESS, THAT COMMUNITY BUILDING THAT CONVERSATION, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU SHARE THAT, UM, ADD TO STUDENTS FEELING SAFE AND, UH, AND CARED FOR IN OUR SCHOOLS, WHICH IS ULTIMATELY OUR GOAL. 
          'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT WHEN YOU ARE FEELING SAFE AND YOU ARE FEELING SEEN AND HEARD, THAT'S WHEN YOU'RE GONNA LEARN BEST, RIGHT? SO, ALRIGHT, 
          [II.3. District Resources and Support: How does LAUSD support schools and educators to uplift Muslim and Black identities, history, and joy in schools and classrooms?]
LET'S HEAR IT FOR, UM, OUR DISTRICT, UM, STAFF. 
          IF YOU CAN INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE OFFICE THAT YOU WORK WITH, AND THEN LEAD US INTO, UH, KNOWING ALL THAT WE DO HERE. 
          ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU. 
          UM, COMMITTEE, BOARD MEMBERS, UM, FOLKS HERE. 
          MY NAME IS JORDAN LEBLANC. 
          I AM ONE OF THE BS A MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORS. 
          SO, UM, I'M UNDER THE BSA MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS BRANCH. 
          UM, AND WHAT WE DO, MY ROLE SPECIFICALLY IS I'M A REGIONAL, UM, REPRESENTATIVE WHO JUST DOES SOME TRAINING FOR STAFF AND FAMILIES AND PARENTS ON HAVING SOME OF THESE RESTORATIVE CONVERSATIONS, HAVING SOME OF THESE BOLD CONVERSATIONS AROUND IDENTITY, UM, TOGETHERNESS, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE ALSO FOR, UH, STAFF, YOU KNOW, LEADING WITH CURIOSITY INSTEAD OF JUDGMENT. 
          UM, THESE ARE SOME OF THE TRAININGS THAT WE DO AND WE OFFER JUST TO KIND OF CREATE THAT SAFE AND WELCOMING SPACE FOR ALL STUDENTS. 
          UM, SO WHAT YOU HAVE HERE ON THIS SLIDE, WE HAVE THE L-A-U-S-D UPLIFTING BLACK STUDENTS RESOURCE GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS. 
          SO THIS DOCUMENT IS A LIVING DOCUMENT THAT IS CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH LUS D'S STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH ULTIMATELY IS PREPARING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE FOR THE WORLD AS WELL AS EDUCATING THEM. 
          SO THIS IS A DOCUMENT FOR EDUCATORS IN CREATING THESE SAFE, WELCOMING AND AFFIRMING ENVIRONMENTS FOR OUR BLACK STUDENTS AND FOR STUDENTS OF COLOR. 
          UM, BECAUSE AS SOMEONE SAID EARLIER, THESE LIVES AND THESE EXPERIENCES AND THAT OUR MONOLITH, SO CREATING A SPACE AND CREATING GUIDANCE AROUND DISPELLING SOME OF THE MYTHS AND CREATING THAT WELCOMING SPACE FOR EVERYBODY. 
          SO THIS IS A RESOURCE GUIDE AND A PART OF IT IS THE MULTI-TIERED, UM, STRATEGIES FOR SUPPORT, UH, FOR OUR STUDENTS. 
          SO, OF COURSE, UNIVERSAL, THAT'S MORE OF OUR SCHOOL-WIDE. 
          SO PROMOTING STRONG CULTURAL AWARENESS, SO HAVING CULTURALLY AFFIRMING ART, HAVING EVENTS WHERE STUDENTS CAN LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT CULTURES KIND OF YEAR ROUND, RIGHT? NOT JUST THESE SET HOLIDAYS, BUT MAKE IT A PRACTICE YEAR ROUND. 
          UM, ADDITIONALLY HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THESE DIFFERENCES, RIGHT? AGAIN, OUR EXPERIENCES ARE NOT MONOLITHIC. 
          SO CREATING A SPACE WHERE STUDENTS CAN HAVE DISCUSSIONS AROUND THEIR OWN LIVED EXPERIENCES AND SOMETIMES SEE SOME OF THE OVERLAP AND SOME OF THE SHARED EXPERIENCES. 
          UH, THERE ARE WAY MORE SHARED EXPERIENCES AND OVERLAP AND THERE ARE DIFFERENCES. 
          SO CREATING A SPACE WHERE THIS BECOMES THE NORM, UM, ALSO DISPELLING SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE SEE IN MEDIA, RIGHT? OUR MEDIA IS VERY POWERFUL IN CREATING A ONE STORY, ONE NARRATIVE, BUT WE KNOW THAT'S DANGEROUS. 
          SO OUR TARGETED INTERVENTIONS ARE MORE, THEY GET A BIT MORE NARROW. 
          SO THIS COULD BE IN THE CLASSROOM, THIS COULD BE A GROUP, A GRADE LEVEL, A CLUB, BUT, UM, FACILITATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER, BUT ALSO FOR THEM TO CONNECT WITH THEIR EDUCATOR, RIGHT? ONE OF THE THINGS WE SAY OFTEN IS CONNECTION BEFORE CORRECTION. 
          SO IT'S HARD TO TEACH STUDENTS THAT YOU'RE NOT CONNECTED TO. 
          IT'S HARD TO TEACH IN A COMMUNITY IN WHICH YOU'RE NOT CONNECTED TO EITHER. 
          SO CREATING SPACE AND OPPORTUNITY WHERE CONNECTION ALSO IS THE NORM, NOT ONLY FOR OUR STUDENTS, BUT ALSO FOR OUR EDUCATORS. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE OUR INTENSIVE, SO INTENSIVE GETS A BIT MORE NARROWER. 
          SO THIS CAN BE AN INDIVIDUAL STUDENT OR A SMALL GROUP OF STUDENTS, BUT THIS IS WHERE WE UTILIZE RESTORATIVE PRACTICES TO REPAIR HARM. 
          SO THIS COULD BE HARM CIRCLES, THIS COULD BE HEALING CIRCLES. 
          THIS COULD BE MODELING FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND NOT JUST BE COMPLICIT IN THEIR PAIN, BUT ALSO FOR EDUCATORS NOT TO BE COMPLICIT IN THE NOT KNOWING, BUT TO LEAD INTO CURIOSITY. 
          UM, AND THEN THE INTENSIVE TAKES US INTO OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID FOR BLACK STUDENTS, WHICH IS ON THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO CONNECTION IS KEY. 
          SO PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID FOR SUPPORTING BLACK STUDENTS IS A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE, EVIDENCE INFORMED FRAMEWORK THAT HELPS STUDENTS WITH INTENSIVE NEEDS, FEEL SAFE, CALM, SUPPORTIVE, FOLLOWING, UM, DIFFICULT EVENTS. 
          SO THIS IS, THESE ARE STEPS ESSENTIALLY 
          [01:15:01]
FOR EDUCATORS TO KIND OF HELP WITH CREATING THIS SAFE SPACE FOR STUDENTS. 
          UM, WHEN I WAS A SCHOOL-BASED PSWI KNOW OFTENTIMES THE PSW WAS RELIED ON VERY HEAVILY FOR SOME OF WHAT STUDENTS WERE GOING THROUGH. 
          LIKE, WE HAVE A STUDENT WHO MAY BE CRYING OR HAVING A BAD DAY. 
          THAT DOESN'T ESSENTIALLY MEAN THAT THAT PERSON HAS TO GO, THAT STUDENT HAS TO GO TO THE PSW. 
          SOMETIMES THAT EDUCATOR KNOWING HOW TO CONNECT WITH THAT STUDENT, WHICH IS ONE OF THE PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL VERSE AID CONNECTION DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN CONVERSING. 
          SOMETIMES CONNECTION IS HOLDING SPACE. 
          SOMETIMES CONNECTION IS BUILDING THAT BRAVE SPACE WHERE THAT YOUNG PERSON CAN JUST BE, WHERE THEY CAN JUST EXIST, WHERE THEY CAN REGULATE THEMSELVES SOMETIMES THAT WE HAVE TO MODEL THAT, RIGHT? WE HAVE TO MODEL HOW TO OVERCOME. 
          SO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE SEEING US AS EDUCATORS SOMETIMES NOT KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT SEEING US ACTUALLY FIND THE ANSWER. 
          OR US BEING ABLE TO BE VULNERABLE WITH WHO WE ARE AS INDIVIDUALS SO THAT WE ARE MODELING FOR THEM HOW TO BE INDIVIDUALS AND SECURE WITH THEMSELVES. 
          ALSO TEACHING, RIGHT? WE ARE PREPARING THEM FOR THE WORLD. 
          SO THE TEACHING GOES BEYOND JUST THE CURRICULUM. 
          THE TEACHING IS HAVING REAL WORLD DISCUSSIONS, LEADING WITH CURIOSITY, SEEING WHAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE'S THOUGHTS ARE, TEACHING THEM HOW TO NAVIGATE DIFFERENCES, AND ALSO TEACHING THEM HOW TO FIND THEIR VOICE. 
          SO THIS IS SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE UTILIZE PSYCHOLOGICAL VERSE AID ON OUR CAMPUSES WITHIN OUR PROGRAM. 
          UM, ADDITIONALLY, US AS MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORS, UH, WE PROVIDE THIS TRAINING TO OUR PARENTS AS WELL BECAUSE LIKE OUR, UM, YOUNG MAN WAS SAYING EARLIER, SOME OF OUR PARENTS, UM, MIGRATED TO THIS COUNTRY AT SOME POINT. 
          AND SOMETIMES THEY COME WITH THEIR OWN BIASES OR THEY COME WITH A VERY LIMITED VIEW OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BLACK OR WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN THIS CITY, THIS COMMUNITY. 
          SO HELPING PARENTS NAVIGATE SOME OF THESE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS, ESPECIALLY FOR FOLKS WHO, UM, HAVE CHALLENGES WITH THAT INTERGENERATIONAL CONVERSATION, RIGHT? BECAUSE WHAT IT'S LIKE FOR A YOUNG PERSON IN 2026, THOUGH THERE MAY BE SOME OVERLAP, THAT PARENT WHO WAS IN L-A-U-S-D IN 1996, VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. 
          SO HAVING THAT INTERGENERATIONAL CONVERSATION AND PROVIDING THOSE SAFE SPACES, NOT ONLY AT SCHOOL, BUT OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL AS WELL. 
          UM, SO WITHIN BSAP, SOME OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE THINK COULD BE HELPFUL, INCLUDING THE, UM, UPLIFTING BLACK STUDENTS RESOURCE GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS IN THE LAOC SAFE SCHOOL PLAN. 
          SO BUILDING THIS INTO THE POLICIES, BUILDING THIS INTO THE PLANS FOR THE SCHOOL SITE FOR THAT, UM, THAT YEAR, UH, ADDITIONALLY WE HAVE A UPLIFTING BLACK STUDENTS ADDRESSING THE N WORD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING THAT WE DO. 
          SO SOME FOLKS KIND OF MADE MENTION OF SOME OF THE TRAININGS THAT ARE ON MY PLN, WHERE IT IS JUST YOU AND THE COMPUTER. 
          WELL, THIS IS AN EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING IN WHICH WE PROVIDE CONTEXTUAL HISTORY OF THE N WORD, BUT WE ALSO BREAK DOWN REAL PRACTICAL WAYS IN WHICH EDUCATORS CAN INTERVENE AND IT'S USE. 
          I KNOW SOMETIMES FOLKS SAY IT'S JUST YOU SO MUCH, IT'S JUST TOO BIG OF AN ISSUE. 
          WELL, SOMETIMES HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH A YOUNG PERSON, SOMETIMES SEEING WHAT THEIR UNDERSTANDING IS, IS THE INTERVENTION THAT CAN BE THE CONSEQUENCE, RIGHT? IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PUNITIVE, BECAUSE WE WANT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO KIND OF KNOW HOW THEY CAN GROW FROM THESE EXPERIENCES. 
          AND THEN THE LAST ONE, UM, DESIGNATE A CULTURALLY AFFIRMING, CULTURALLY AFFIRMING WELLNESS SPACES ON EVERY LUC CAMPUS. 
          SO AGAIN, WHEN I WAS, UM, AT A SCHOOL SITE, OUR BSAP ROOM WAS THAT SPACE. 
          AND OUR YOUNG PEOPLE NOT ONLY FELT SEEN, BUT THEY FELT LIKE THEY HAD A SPACE ON THAT COMMUNITY WHERE THEY COULD JUST BE WHERE THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE THAT REALLY LOVED THEM AND LOVED ALL THE STUDENTS, BUT LOVED THEM, AND JUST ALLOW THEM TO JUST HAVE THAT SAFE SPACE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM DON'T HAVE THAT. 
          AND FOR SOME STUDENTS, SCHOOL IS THE ONLY SAFE SPACE. 
          SO JUST CREATING THOSE SAFE AND AFFIRMING SPACES ON ALL CAMPUSES. 
          SO THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND A BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DO, UM, INDIVIDUALLY AND, UH, PROGRAM WIDE. 
          SO THANK YOU ALL. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          REALLY APPRECIATE, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU GIVING US SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AS WELL. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          UM, DO WE HAVE OTHER SPEAKERS? OH, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IF YOU CAN INTRODUCE YOURSELF. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH, JORDAN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          HI, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. 
          UH, MY NAME IS KYLIE JACKSON. 
          I'M THE HISTORY SOCIAL SCIENCE COORDINATOR, UH, HERE IN THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION. 
          AND TODAY I WANT TO, UH, SHARE WITH YOU WE, THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY AND ISLAM ARE PRESENT, UH, IN THE HISTORY SOCIAL SCIENCE FRAMEWORK FOR CALIFORNIA, UH, PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPPORTING ETHNIC STUDIES MATERIALS FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. 
          AND IN THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT IS DONE HERE IN THE DISTRICT. 
          [01:20:02]
THE HISTORY SOCIAL SCIENCE FRAMEWORK FOR CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS GUIDES OUR INSTRUCTION. 
          UH, AND IN THE MOST RECENT, UH, ITERATION OF THE FRAMEWORK, THERE WERE FOUR KEY INSTRUCTIONAL SHIFTS, AND THOSE WERE AROUND CONTENT LITERACY, INQUIRY, AND CIVICS. 
          TODAY WE WILL FOCUS ON INQUIRY. 
          UH, INQUIRY IS ABOUT DISCIPLINARY THINKING, UH, ANALYSIS SKILLS, AND DEEPENING CRITICAL THINKING. 
          IT IS ORGANIZED AROUND SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL QUESTIONS, PROVIDES MULTIPLE SOURCES AND PERSPECTIVES, AND PROVIDES ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF HISTORICAL INTERPRETATIONS. 
          IT IS NOT SIMPLY ABOUT THE MEMORIZATION OF DISCRETE FACTS. 
          PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT INQUIRY IS ABOUT ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS, AND QUESTIONING IS A KEY COMPONENT OF GOOD HISTORY. 
          SOCIAL SCIENCE INSTRUCTION. 
          THE FRAMEWORK INCLUDES NUMEROUS REFERENCES TO THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY. 
          ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE MULTIPLE REFERENCES TO THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN THE, UH, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, ETHNIC STUDIES MODEL CURRICULUM, INCLUDING INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES, STUDENTS ENGAGE, UH, IN THE STUDY OF ISLAM, PRIMARILY IN GRADE SEVEN, MEDIEVAL WORLD HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY. 
          THIS IS A CORE COURSE, UH, THAT EACH, UH, SEVENTH GRADER TAKES IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, OVERARCHING STANDARD SEVEN, UH, 0.2. 
          AND THE SUBSTANDARD 7.2 0.1 AND THROUGH 7.2 0.6 COVER THE VARIOUS GEOGRAPHIC POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL STRUCTURES OF ISLAMIC CIVILIZATIONS IN THE MIDDLE AGES. 
          AS I MENTIONED, INQUIRY IS ONE OF THE KEY DRIVERS OF HISTORY, SOCIAL SCIENCE, UH, INSTRUCTION. 
          SO QUESTIONS THAT STUDENTS WOULD CONSIDER IN GRADE SEVEN WORLD HISTORY WOULD INCLUDE AS A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES HERE, HOW DID THE ENVIRONMENT AFFECT THE DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE, MUSLIM EMPIRES AND CITIES? HOW DID ISLAM DEVELOP AND CHANGE OVER TIME? HOW DID ISLAM SPREAD TO MULTIPLE, UH, MULTIPLE CULTURES? UH, HOW DID ISLAM, UH, I'M SORRY. 
          HOW DID MUSLIM EMPIRES AND INSTITUTIONS HELP DIFFERENT REGIONS OF AFRO EURASIA BECOME MORE INTERCONNECTED? OUR KEY PARTNER IN HISTORY, SOCIAL SCIENCE HERE IN THE DISTRICT IS THE DIGITAL INQUIRY GROUP. 
          THEY HAVE A COUPLE OF LESSONS, UH, UH, ON, UH, ISLAM THAT CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE GRADE SEVEN CURRICULUM. 
          STUDENTS MIGHT ALSO ENGAGE WITH THE STUDY OF ISLAM AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT WORLD HISTORY, UH, USUALLY TAKEN IN GRADE 10. 
          THE FRAMEWORK ALSO, UH, PROVIDES GUIDANCE FOR TEACHING ABOUT RELIGION AND HISTORY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
          UH, AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF GUARDRAILS, IF YOU WILL. 
          SO, FOR INSTANCE, JUST A COUPLE I'LL MENTION, UH, THE SCHOOL'S APPROACH TO RELIGION IS ACADEMIC. 
          IT'S NOT DEVOTIONAL. 
          AND, UH, THE SCHOOL, UH, MAY EDUCATE ABOUT ALL RELIGIONS, BUT MAY NOT PROMOTE OR DENIGRATE ANY RELIGION. 
          IN 2024, THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION CREATED GUIDANCE FOR ADDRESSING CHALLENGING SENSITIVE TOPICS ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST. 
          THIS DOCUMENT PROVIDES INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES DESIGNED TO COMBAT ISLAMOPHOBIA AND ANTISEMITISM, AND HAS BEEN SHARED IN DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND IN L-A-U-S-D HISTORY, SOCIAL SCIENCE, SCHOOLOGY GROUPS. 
          ADDITIONALLY, THE CULTURAL CONTEXT, HISTORIES AND COUNTER NARRATIVES OF MUSLIM COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOPICS, UH, INCLUDING SOME PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DONE AROUND ONE OF OUR ETHNIC STUDIES COURSES, UH, A PA STUDIES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. JACKSON OR ANY COMMENT? I, YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          I JUST WANTED TO SAY, IT'S SO INTERESTING, OF COURSE TO SEE THE STANDARDS AND THE FRAMEWORK AND THEN TO HAVE THIS THOUGHT OF LIKE, OUR CULTURE IS SOMETHING TO, UH, BE UNDERSTOOD, RIGHT? RATHER THAN JUST STUDIED. 
          AND I KIND OF FEEL LIKE THAT'S THE POINT OF THIS TALKING ABOUT IT, IS HOW DO YOU MAKE IT HUMAN AND THAT IT IS SOMEONE'S LIFE DO AND, AND, AND SACRED AND, AND YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? UM, IN ADDITION TO WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ON THE PAGE. 
          SO, SO THANK YOU. 
          I JUST WANNA THANK EVERYBODY WHO REALLY CAME AND BROUGHT SUCH ENTHUSIASM AND MEANING. 
          'CAUSE IT HAS REALLY MADE AN IMPACT ON HOW I THINK ABOUT, YOU 
          [01:25:01]
KNOW, ALL OF THESE STANDARDS. 
          THANK 
          [III. Committee Discussion]
YOU. 
          AND NOW I, I'LL OPEN IT UP NOT JUST FROM MR. JACKSON, BUT ANYBODY WHO SPOKE HERE, UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANY COMMENTS OR EVEN DISCUSSION AMONGST EACH OTHER, BECAUSE REMEMBER THAT OUT OF THESE CONVERSATIONS, OUR HOPE IS THAT WE WILL MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION. 
          AND, UM, AND JUST TO BRING IT BACK TO THE OVERARCHING QUESTION, UM, WE GET IT SO THAT I CAN ASK IT EXACTLY. 
          SO HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE UPLIFT BLACK IDENTITY HISTORY IN JOY IN SCHOOLS AND THE CLASSROOMS AND ALSO MUSLIM IDENTITY? SO HOW DO WE, RIGHT? WE HEARD FROM OUR TEACHER, MS. HENRY FROM DORSEY HIGH SCHOOL, UH, WE HEARD FROM, UM, OUR TEACHER AT, UH, PORTER RANCH IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, HOW SHE'S DOING THAT IN OUR PSW. 
          WE HEARD FROM OUR STUDENTS WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN, HOW THEY TAKE, WHAT IS, IS, UH, GIVEN TO THEM IN OUR SCHOOLS AND HOW THEY HAVE ALSO ON THEIR OWN TAKING IT ON TO START A CLUB, RIGHT? AND, UH, TO, TO BRING FORTH THEIR IDENTITY, TO HAVE SPACE WHERE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG, TO ALSO EDUCATE THE WHOLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND ASK OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED, UH, TO BE SEEN, TO BE HEARD, TO BE VALUED. 
          UM, MS. HENRY SAID SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT THAT, UH, THAT REALLY MOVED ME, IS TO VALUE THE THINGS THAT KIDS BRING, RIGHT? THE ART, THEIR VOICE THINGS THEY SAY EVERYTHING IS VALUABLE. 
          AND WHEN WE DO THAT AS EDUCATORS, WE HAVE SO MUCH POWER IN THE CLASSROOM. 
          AND WHEN WE DO THAT, IT REALLY CAN CHANGE A STUDENT'S LIFE IN A POSITIVE WAY. 
          SO, UM, SO YEAH, I'M OPENING IT UP TO FOLKS TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE CAN SCALE ALL OF THIS WONDERFUL WORK, THE, THE WORK THAT IS ALREADY EXISTING. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, MR. JORDAN SHARED ABOUT HOW HE IS AN ADVISOR, SO ONLY CALLED UPON, UH, BUT NOT NECESSARILY AT A SCHOOL SITE. 
          AND DO WE WANT FOLKS LIKE KIM AT SCHOOL SITES SO THAT HE'S THERE A RESOURCE THERE ALL THE TIME? IS THAT WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING? SO OPENING IT UP TO FOLKS, GO FOR IT. 
          I'LL ASK A QUESTION. 
          UM, ONE AND TWO, WHEN YOU RUN OUT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID FOR SUPPORTING BLACK STUDENTS IN THIS, UM, KINDA LIKE A, A TOOLKIT, SO TO SPEAK, RIGHT? AND I APPRECIATE HER MENTIONING CALL UPON WHEN NEEDED. 
          SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE AREAS THAT YOU'VE BEEN CALLED UPON WHEN NEEDED? WHAT, WHAT IF, UH, BROUGHT ABOUT SOME, OKAY, WE NEED YOU TO COME IN HERE, KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, FIRST AID KIDS IS WHEN, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE HEARD AND SOMETHING. 
          SO HOW HAVE YOU BEEN CALLED UPON TO PROVIDE SERVICE? IT HAS TO BE GREEN. 
          IT'S GREEN. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WHAT IT'S LOOKED LIKE, UM, IT'S LOOKED LIKE ADDRESSING THE N WORD, RIGHT? UH, THE N WORD IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE SEEING ON ALL OF OUR CAMPUSES IN, IN EACH REGION. 
          SO WHAT IT IS LOOK LIKE IS THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT'S HAPPENING ON THIS SCHOOL CAMPUS, AND WE WANT SUPPORT. 
          SO WE GO AND WE PROVIDE THE TRAINING AND WE PROVIDE THESE TOOLS. 
          OTHER INSTANCES, IT COULD BE A RACIALIZED INCIDENT THAT PERTAINS TO A PARTICULAR STUDENT WHERE THIS STUDENT IS HAVING THIS KIND OF ISSUE. 
          SO WE PROVIDE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SUPPORT TO THE STAFF MEMBER OR EVEN A FAMILY MEMBER, RIGHT? SO IT COMES IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS. 
          ADDITIONALLY, WE'RE BEING MINDFUL, LIKE IN REGION EAST WE SEE THAT THE CLIMATE AND THE GEOGRAPHY IS KIND OF SHIFTING AS FAR AS THE POPULATION GOES. 
          SO TRYING TO BE PREVENTATIVE IN SOME INSTANCES TO THE SHIFT THAT'S HAPPENING IN REAL TIME WITHIN THE COMMUNITIES. 
          SO IT'S JUST LOOKED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS. 
          UM, BUT THAT'S TYPICALLY HOW IT LOOKS. 
          A LOT OF OUR SCHOOLS ALSO HAVE BSAP, PWS, SO OUR BSAP PSW HAVE ALSO HELPED CONNECT US AS MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORS TO DO MORE OF THE SUPPORT AND TRAINING THE STAFF OR PARENTS WITH SOME OF THE MATERIALS. 
          SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT IT'S LOOKED LIKE. 
          AND THEN WE ARE JUST WORKING MEETING PEOPLE, COMING IN SPACES LIKE THIS KIND OF SHARING WHAT WE DO, UM, TO JUST KIND OF MAKE THESE CONNECTIONS ON OUR OWN REGARD. 
          THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. 
          I GUESS ONE LAST QUESTION WITH THE MATERIAL, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT'S LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. 
          UM, AND WANTING TO KNOW WITH THE DISTRICT, HOW CAN WE INFUSE IT THROUGHOUT OUR DISTRICT IN ALL AREAS TO WHERE IT'S SOMETHING ESSENTIAL. 
          LIKE WHEN YOU COME, YOU'RE COMING INTO TEACHING, RIGHT? AND THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, WITH THE TEACHER PROGRAM COMING IN. 
          [01:30:01]
BUT WHAT IS IT WHEN WE'RE ONBOARDING, WE HAVE BRAND NEW TEACHER IN THE BACK, UM, AND AS SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, WE WANT MORE OF THIS. 
          WHAT WOULD BE ADVISED OF US ON THE BOARD HERE TO BE ABLE TO BRING POLICY TO HOW DO WE ONBOARD INDIVIDUALS WITH THIS KIND OF INFORMATION COMING ON BOARD? OR FOR THOSE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE, THAT HAVE BEEN TAUGHT FOR MANY YEARS, BUT NEVER BEEN EXPOSED TO, I APPRECIATE, UH, JUAN REYES SHARING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW. 
          SO SOMETIMES YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW AND HOW TO GET THAT INFORMATION. 
          SO ASKING JUST WHAT WOULD BE AN INITIAL ONBOARDING FOR A DISTRICT-WIDE KIND OF POLICY MOVING FORWARD AS A SUGGESTION. 
          OKAY. 
          SO ONE OF WHAT COMES TO MIND FOR ME IS, UM, SOMETHING I HEARD SOMEONE SAY AT ONE OF OUR MEETINGS, AND IT'S, WHAT'S GOOD FOR BLACK STUDENTS IS GOOD FOR ALL STUDENTS. 
          AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT SHE WAS SAYING IS THAT HISTORICALLY AND STATISTICALLY, OUR BLACK STUDENTS HAVE FALLEN TO THE BOTTOM OF MOST SUCCESS INDICATORS IN EDUCATION. 
          SO THESE TOOLS AND STRATEGIES ARE USED TO KIND OF REACH FROM THE BOTTOM UP AND INCLUDE THEM INTO THAT FOLD. 
          SO WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE DISTRICT WIDE AND INCLUDING THESE TRAINING, ADDRESSING THE N WORD, RIGHT, TO WHERE FOLKS ARE ABLE TO UTILIZE SOME OF THESE STRATEGIES TO HELP BUILD A CULTURE AND A CLIMATE WHERE EVERYONE IS WELCOME AND INVITED INTO THAT SPACE AND SAFE. 
          AND WE'RE UPLIFTING ALL CULTURES AND WE'RE ABLE TO EXPLORE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE SO THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE, UM, SEEN AND RECOGNIZED. 
          I THINK ADDITIONALLY TOO, IT'S CREATING SAFE AND AFFIRMING SPACES FOR EDUCATORS AS WELL, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY ARE ON THE GROUND DOING THE WORK. 
          SO BEING ABLE TO BRING THEIR FULL SELF INTO THE WORK THAT THEY DO IS A HELPFUL STRATEGY AS WELL. 
          SO AGAIN, WHAT'S GOOD FOR BLACK STUDENTS IS GOOD FOR ALL STUDENTS. 
          SO I THINK THAT'S JUST THAT WORKING FRAMEWORK TO WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO BE SEEN AND WE'RE ABLE TO INCLUDE CULTURE ALL THE WAY AROUND WITHIN THE WORK THAT WE DO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU, THANK YOU, CHARLOTTE. 
          ANY, YES? UM, MARIA, I CANNOT, I TALK THOUGHT ABOUT IT. 
          SO HOW THIS MIGHT LOOK, UM, TO EXPECT, LIKE MY, MY OWN CHILDREN GO TO A SCHOOL THAT HAS SINGLE DIGIT AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS FOR BLACK STUDENTS, RIGHT? SO I DON'T THINK THERE, THE N WORD IS VERY PERVASIVE THERE, RIGHT? AND, UM, BUT I, I THINK THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WHAT IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE IF WE TALK ABOUT ANTI-BLACKNESS IN SPACES WHERE THERE MAY NOT BE BLACK CHILDREN, BUT THAT CONVERSATION IS STILL HAPPENING, THAT KIND OF VERY MICROAGGRESSIVE, VERY, UM, HATEFUL LANGUAGE IS HAPPENING. 
          SO I THINK, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE, BUT I THINK WHEN I APPROACH THE PRINCIPAL AT MY KID'S SCHOOL, THE RESPONSE WAS AT THE SECONDARY SCHOOL WAS WE DO HAVE A BLACK STUDENT ASSOCIATION HERE AND THEY'RE GONNA TAKE CARE OF IT. 
          AND THESE ARE THE STUDENTS, RIGHT? AND AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHERE THERE REALLY ALMOST NO BLACK STUDENTS, IT WAS SORT OF, UM, LIKE, OKAY, WELL TELL 'EM NOT TO SAY BAD WORDS, BUT I THINK THE CONVERSATION AROUND ANTI-BLACK IS, WAS NEVER HAD AMONGST THE STAFF OR WITH THE PARENTS, UM, EVEN WHEN THEY WERE ASKING FOR IT. 
          I'LL SPEAK TO THAT ACTUALLY. 
          UM, WE HAVE A TRAINING THAT WE JUST STARTED ON COLORISM. 
          SO EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF COLORISM, ALSO ITS COLONIAL AND RACISM, RACIST ROOTS, BUT ALSO SOMEHOW, UH, COLORISM IS A GLOBAL ISSUE. 
          SO IT'S NOT JUST A BLACK ISSUE, IT'S NOT JUST A A LATINO ISSUE, IT'S A GLOBAL ISSUE. 
          AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ENCOURAGE IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS IS FOR FOLKS TO ENGAGE IN THE CONVERSATION, RIGHT? I THINK EVEN TO THAT FACT, WE HAVE TO LEAN INTO THE DISCOMFORT BECAUSE LIKE SOMEONE WAS SAYING, WE LEARN FROM WHAT WE DON'T KNOW, NOT WHAT WE DO. 
          SO EVEN WHEN WE DON'T KNOW, WE HAVE TO KIND OF LEAN INTO THAT. 
          SO WE TRY TO CREATE THAT SAFE SPACE, BUT WE NEED FOLKS THAT ARE ALSO WILLING TO LEAN INTO THAT SPACE. 
          SPACE. 
          BUT WE DO HAVE A TRAINING ON COLORISM THAT WE HAVE PILOTED AND IT'S GOOD TO GO AND IT'S, UM, AN ENGAGING TRAINING, BUT ALSO AIMED AT PEOPLE CHECKING THEIR OWN BIASES AND THEIR OWN LIVED EXPERIENCE AND SHARING THEIR OWN LIVED EXPERIENCE. 
          BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S NOT A MONOLITH. 
          SO I THINK THANK YOU TO YOUR POINT. 
          AND WE ARE ACTUALLY DOING THAT WORK. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          SOMEONE ELSE LIKE TO COMMENT OR DISCUSS, SHARE IDEAS ON HOW WE CAN, YOU KNOW, EXPAND THIS. 
          I'M, I'M LIKING EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE SAYING AND THE ONLY THING THAT JUST MAKES ME A LITTLE BIT UPSET IS THE FACT THAT IT'S, IT'S NOT EVERYWHERE IT THAT TRAINING. 
          I MEAN, WE ALL SHOULD HAVE THAT TRAINING, LIKE WHAT CHARLETTE WAS SAYING, WE EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE THAT KIND OF TRAINING. 
          EVERY SINGLE EDUCATOR SHOULD HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. 
          IT SHOULD BE MANDATORY. 
          AND YES. 
          UM, I'LL CALL ON HIM AND THEN, AND THEN I'LL CALL ON YOU. 
          YES. 
          I WAS JUST GOING TO SHARE, UH, A THOUGHT BASED ON WHAT I'M HEARING. 
          AND I THINK TO YOUR LAST POINT ABOUT ACCESS, RIGHT? I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S A SCHOOL SITE WITH OUR PSW TEAM, OUR MENTAL HEALTH TEAM, AND EVEN OUR FACULTY AND, AND ALL THE SUPPORT TEAM THAT WE HAVE AS A SCHOOL SITE. 
          I DON'T THINK IT'S AN ISSUE OF ACCESS. 
          'CAUSE PEOPLE CAN ACCESS RESOURCES. 
          YOUR DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE 
          [01:35:01]
ON, ON, ON THE DISTRICT'S, UM, UM, PSYCH SERVICES PAGE. 
          I'VE SEEN IT THERE. 
          BUT I THINK FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE AS A, AS A SCHOOL ADMIN, WHEN I GO TO THESE MEETINGS, UH, FOR PRINCIPALS, UH, IT'S TOUGH. 
          IT'S A TOUGH MEETING TO BE AT BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE INUNDATED WITH COMPLIANCE. 
          AND, AND, AND IF YOU'RE TIER THREE SCHOOLS, YOU HAVE ETO STUFF ON TOP OF THAT. 
          SO THERE'S NO, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE CULTURAL PART OF THE WORK OTHER THAN MAYBE THE TOKEN MONTHLY THEME, FOR INSTANCE. 
          SO HISTORICALLY IN OUR PERSONAL LIVES, WHEN YOU MEASURE SOMETHING, USUALLY IT IMPROVES WHETHER IT'S OUR WEIGHT LOSS OR WHATEVER, OUR NUTRITION, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER TIME WITH THE KIDS. 
          UM, I THINK IT'S A SCHOOL SITE, IT'S NOT VERY DIFFERENT. 
          WHEN YOU FOCUS ON SOMETHING AS A SCHOOL AND PEOPLE MEASURE THAT AS A METRIC, THE ODDS OF IT HAPPENING ARE MUCH HIGHER. 
          SO THE TEACHERS WHO ARE TALKING ABOUT ADMIN SUPPORT, UH, THE LIMITED PD TIME, HAVING TESTED A PRINCIPAL FOR A BOOK OUT OF A BOX, THAT DOES HAPPEN. 
          AND IF PEOPLE DON'T SPEAK UP AND DO THE ACTUAL WORK, IMPLEMENTATION WILL BE DIRECTLY IMPACTED. 
          SO, UM, LIKE AT THE PRINCIPAL MEETING THIS LAST WEEK, WE FOCUSED ON RIGOR, RIGOR BY DESIGN. 
          OKAY. 
          NOT BY ACCIDENT. 
          SO, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S MORE FOCUSED ON THE USE OF ARTICULATING, UH, UH, VOCABULARY FROM A TEXT, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, USING DOK LE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS. 
          BUT AS FAR AS CULTURE, WE'RE NOT THERE YET. 
          YEAH. 
          IT'S JUST NOT, YEAH, IT'S WELL INTENDED, BUT WHERE DOES IT FIT? AND WHEN, WELL, I THINK, UH, WAS IT MS. HENRY WHO SAID THAT RIGOR CAN LOOK IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS? RIGHT? I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE ARE STUCK. 
          THAT RIGOR ONLY LOOKS ONE WAY OR ONLY WHEN YOU USE THESE METHODS LIKE KAGAN, LIKE YOU SHARED, THERE'S MANY WAYS THAT YOU CAN ENGAGE STUDENTS IN RIGOROUS CONVERSATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS TO SELF-ASSESS IS VERY RIGOROUS EVEN FOR US ADULTS, RIGHT? SO I THINK THAT AS, AS A DISTRICT AND IN EDUCATION IN GENERAL, NOT JUST US, BUT WE SHOULD BE LEADING THE WAY, WE SHOULD BE OPENING UP OUR MINDS TO WHAT, BEYOND WHAT WE SEE RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, I'M GONNA HAVE ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK AND THEN COME BACK HERE. 
          AND AGAIN, I WANNA ENCOURAGE US TO ASK QUESTIONS OF OUR STUDENTS. 
          PLEASE IF YOU CAN INTRODUCE YOURSELF AS WELL. 
          SORRY. 
          HI, I AM JANIQUE WELLS AND I AM THE, UH, DIRECTOR FOR BSAT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS. 
          AND I WAS JUST, UM, REFLECTING ON WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT, UM, YOUR STUDENTS AND THERE BEING JUST A FEW, UM, BLACK STUDENTS, MAYBE ONE OR TWO. 
          AND THOSE ARE SOME OF THE SCHOOLS WHERE WE ACTUALLY DO THE MOST, UM, INTENSIVE WORK. 
          WE HAVE A LOT OF SCHOOLS IN, UH, REGION NORTH WHERE THERE MAY ONLY BE LIKE FIVE BLACK STUDENTS. 
          AND WHEN AN INCIDENT OCCURS, UM, IT CAN REALLY BLOW UP BECAUSE THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, IT'S MORE INTENSE IT SEEMS THAN WHERE THERE'S A, UM, LOT OF BLACK STUDENTS TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER. 
          SO WE REALLY DO ENCOURAGE, UM, THE SCHOOLS WHERE THERE ARE JUST A FEW TO, UM, REALLY, UM, UNPACK THE UPLIFTING BLACK STUDENTS, UM, EDUCATOR RESOURCE GUIDE. 
          WE DO HAVE OUR MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORS THAT GO IN AND SPECIFICALLY GO THROUGH THAT GUIDE AND WORK WITH THE, THE STAFF AS WELL AS THE STUDENTS. 
          SOMETHING THAT ALSO HAS BEEN REALLY, UM, IMPACTFUL IS USING, UM, THE PEER-TO-PEER, UM, MODEL WHERE THE STAFF WILL WORK WITH THE STUDENTS, OR EVEN OUR STAFF WILL WORK WITH THE STUDENTS AND KIND OF EXACTLY WHAT, WHAT HAPPENED WITH THESE STUDENTS. 
          THEY BUILD IT OUT AND TAKE IT AND RUN WITH IT AS, AS WELL. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE THE STUDENTS AND YOU ALSO HAVE THE STAFF WHO ARE AWARE OF, UM, HOW TO HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS, AND IT CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE POWERFUL. 
          BUT, UM, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF, UM, CASES THAT ARE REFERRED TO US WHERE THERE JUST A FEW BLACK STUDENTS AND THAT'S WHERE WE DO SOME OF THE MOST INTENSIVE WORK. 
          SURE. 
          UH, PWS, WHICH I HAVE ONE AT NON BSAP SCHOOLS. 
          OH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          THE, ON THE SAME TOPICS? SAME RESOURCES, YES. 
          UHHUH. 
          , OKAY. 
          YES. 
          ALL, UM, EVERY, EVERY REGION. 
          YES. 
          WE HAVE TWO MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORS IN EACH, UM, REGION AND THEY'RE VERY BUSY . 
          BUT YES, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, YES, UH, KATE AND THEN MARIA AGAIN, AND ANYBODY ELSE WOULD LIKE TO, HI EVERYONE. 
          UM, FIRST I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE WHAT PEOPLE SAID ABOUT JUST HOW AMAZING THE PRESENTATIONS WERE. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UM, IT WAS JUST SO INSPIRING AND I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE EDUCATORS AND THE KIDS WHO CAME HERE TODAY TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE AND YOUR IDEAS WITH US. 
          UM, AND ONE OF THE MANY COMMON THREADS I HEARD WAS ABOUT THE NEED FOR OPERATIONALIZATION OF, UM, OF LESSONS, OF IDEAS OF CONCEPTS, UM, SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST BASED ON CHANCE. 
          LIKE 
          [01:40:01]
IF YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, A MISS CONN AT YOUR SCHOOL, RIGHT? OR MS. HENRY. 
          SO I THINK, AND OR HAVING A GROUP LIKE YOU ALL, LIKE IF IF THERE'S NOT SOMEBODY AT THE SITE, UM, THEN WE WANNA HAVE SOMETHING. 
          WHAT I'M HEARING FROM YOU IS THAT IT'S MORE SYSTEMIC. 
          AND ONE THING I'M THINKING ABOUT PRACTICALLY IS THAT IN L-A-U-S-D, UM, THERE'S, UH, MANDATORY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODULES, THERE'S ALSO CHOICE BOARD. 
          AND I KNOW FROM  WORKING AT A SCHOOL SITE THAT SOMETIMES THE CHOICE BOARD ITEMS DON'T GET CHOSEN. 
          AND SO I WONDER ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF, UM, SOME OF THE MODULES THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, MR. LE LEBLANC, RIGHT? , UM, IF THAT CAN BE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE MANDATORY, UM, SO THAT IT'S NOT SIMPLY SOMETHING THAT SOMEBODY COULD CHOOSE OR THAT SOMEBODY HAS TO REACH OUT TO YOUR OFFICE AND SAY, HEY, WE WANNA HAVE THIS AT OUR SITE. 
          BUT COULDN'T IT BE SOMETHING THAT'S A PART OF THE YEARLY MANDATORY, UM, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODULES? OH, UM, MARIA, I ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE STUDENTS AND, AND THE TEACHER. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK BASED ON THE, A PRESENTATION FROM THE DISTRICT AROUND HOW IT'S ONLY TAUGHT IN SEVENTH GRADE, AND IT'S A VERY SPECIFIC TIME IN HISTORY, UM, JUST BASED, I HEARD A LOT OF THAT TOO, WHERE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WANTING MORE SYSTEMS TO REALLY HONOR, UM, THOSE SPACES. 
          WHAT WOULD YOU GUYS THINK? WHAT, WHAT DID IT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU IF IT WAS MORE THAN JUST SEVENTH GRADE MEDIEVAL HISTORY ABOUT ISLAM? THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT WAS A POINT I WANTED TO BRING UP IN GENERAL AS WELL. 
          UM, SO I FEEL LIKE SEVENTH GRADE IS AS A SEVENTH GRADER, IF YOU GUYS, I HAVE SIBLINGS, MY BROTHER IS AN EIGHTH GRADER. 
          AND I, I SAY THIS WITH COMPLETE HONESTY, THEY'RE NOT FOCUSED IN THEIR HISTORY CLASSES. 
          THEY DON'T REALLY CARE AS OFTEN AS LIKE OLDER STUDENTS WILL. 
          SO PUTTING SOMETHING VERY CRUCIAL IN UNDERSTANDING, SAY YOUR CLASSMATE OR THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN JUST SEVENTH GRADE AND FOCUSING IT, WHICH HONESTLY, THIS KIND OF DIALS BACK TO, UM, I APOLOGIZE, I FORGOT YOUR NAME, BUT THE TEACHER THAT FROM DORSEY, HOW, UM, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOT JUST FOCUS ON IDENTITY CURRICULUM, UH, JUST FOCUSING IT ON THE TRAUMA. 
          IF THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A SEVENTH GRADER VERY EARLY ON IN HIS CHILD OR HER CHILDHOOD, UM, INTRODUCED TO MUSLIM IDENTITY, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON THE MUSLIM EMPIRES AND COLONIALISM AND ALL OF THAT, THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET A IDEA THAT'S, UM, RELEVANT TO THE TIME THAT WE ARE IN, ESPECIALLY SINCE EVEN IN HIGH SCHOOL WHEN THEY ARE INTRODUCED TO MUSLIM IDENTITY. 
          AGAIN, WHETHER THAT BE IN AP WORLD, UM, WE DON'T HAVE THE REPRESENTATION IN BOOKS THAT USE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY THAT DO NOT REINFORCE SOCIETY AND STEREOTYPES THAT ARE ENFORCED ON MUSLIMS. SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED IN THE ETHNIC STUDY CLASSES THAT ARE NOT JUST IN SEVENTH GRADE, BUT ALSO INFLUENCING THEM IN ACCESS OF RESOURCES THAT USE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY. 
          ONE KIDS ARE FOCUSED NOT IN SEVENTH GRADE. 
          DO YOU GUYS WANT NO. 
          DID YOU WANNA SHE'S GOOD. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          OH YEAH. 
          TWO MORE MINUTES. 
          ALL RIGHT, TWO MORE MINUTES. 
          THIS IS IT. 
          LAST WORDS. 
          WELL, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU AGAIN BECAUSE JUST EVEN YOU ENGAGING, YOU'RE A SENIOR. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          WHERE YOU GOING NEXT YEAR? YOU DON'T KNOW. 
          OKAY. 
          THINKING ABOUT EDUCATION AFTER THAT. 
          UM, JUST A, YOU KNOW, SHAMELESS PLUG, BUT I JUST, I MEAN, APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU, YOU SPOKE SO ELOQUENTLY ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, IN OUR CURRICULUM AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE REFLECTIVE, YOU KNOW, AND BE ABLE TO BE SEEN. 
          AND I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          I REALLY DO. 
          BECAUSE OUR EXPERIENCES IS WHAT CREATE US, RIGHT? AND WHEN WE GO THROUGH 12 YEARS OF SCHOOL AND YOU DON'T EXPERIENCE YOU IN YOUR LEARNING, IT MAKES A BIG IMPACT ON WHO YOU ARE. 
          AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU SHARING THAT, THAT THAT ONE LITTLE SMALL TIME IN SEVENTH GRADE. 
          I HAVE ONE AT HOME. 
          YEAH, THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T GET IT AT ALL. 
          SO I JUST WANNA SAY AGAIN, YOU KNOW, JUST TO ALL THE PRESENTERS THAT CAME TODAY, JUST TO APPRECIATE YOU SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE, SHARING YOUR LIFE WITH US SO WE CAN LEARN MORE. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          I THINK YOU WANNA SAY YES, JUST THIS CONNECTING THEME BETWEEN ALL OF THESE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD IS IT'S MANDATORY, IT'S NOT OPTIONAL, RIGHT? HUMANITY IS NOT OPTIONAL, IT'S MANDATORY. 
          AND THAT'S REALLY BEEN THIS DRIVING THEME. 
          SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT MESSAGE. 
          WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPLIFT THAT MESSAGE. 
          AND UM, JUST THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING EVERY DAY, BECAUSE 
          [01:45:01]
WE KNOW YOU ARE VERY BUSY, . 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, YES. 
          I'M JUST WONDERING, OUR OWN INTERNAL COMMITTEE, IF WE CAN HAVE LIKE A SEPARATE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE CONTENTS THAT ARE IN THE DOCUMENTS THEMSELVES. 
          'CAUSE IT'S LIKE, WHO DECIDES ON WHETHER, YOU KNOW, WHAT AREA, WHAT ERA OF ISLAMIC HISTORY IS ACTUALLY TAUGHT? 'CAUSE I THINK LIKE WITH DALA AND A LOT OF THE OTHER STUDENTS ARE SAYING, HOW DO WE MAKE THE CONTENT MORE REFLECTIVE AND CONTEMPORARY TO A CERTAIN EXTENT TOO, BECAUSE I MEAN, IT'S AS, AS INTERESTING AS IT IS HERE, LEARNING ABOUT THE MESOPOTAMIAN ERA AND YOU KNOW, MUSLIM CIVILIZATION, YOU KNOW, THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. 
          I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE IT MORE CONTEMPORARY SO THAT IT REALLY RELATES TO THEM. 
          SO I THINK MAYBE THAT'S JUST A SIDE CONVERSATION THAT WE CAN HAVE. 
          BUT AS A COMMITTEE, DEFINITELY WE CAN CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION AND I INVITE ALL OF YOU AS WELL TO LET US KNOW, GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS BECAUSE YOU, UH, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO ARE ALSO INFORMING US. 
          AND SO I, 
          [IV. Closing Remarks]
I WANNA AGAIN, THANK EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE. 
          UM, MS. KHAN, I JUST HAD ONE QUESTION. 
          ARE THERE OTHER TEACHERS LIKE YOU IN THE SCHOOL? ARE YOU THE ONLY ONE WHO IS, IS TEACHING THIS AND, AND BRINGING IN THE RESOURCES? FIFTH TEACHERS WE AS, OH, UM, THE OTHER, MY, UM, CO-TEACHERS, WE ALL TE USE THE SAME NOVEL STUDY, BUT WE'RE ALSO FORTUNATE THAT OUR PRINCIPAL ALLOWS US TO DEVIATE AT TIMES OUT OF CKLA. 
          BUT WE, IT'S CORE LITERATURE, IT HITS ALL THE STANDARDS. 
          UM, BUT REGARDS TO PRAYER, ALL THE TEACHERS, I'VE LIKE TEXTED THEM, I LET THEM KNOW, HEY, IF YOU HAVE ANY MUSLIM STUDENTS, PLEASE LET THEM KNOW THAT, UM, THEY'RE ALLOWED TO COME TO MY CLASSROOM. 
          I'VE ALSO, I, I'M A PART OF THE COMMUNITY GROUP CHAT, I LET THE PARENTS IN THAT GROUP CHAT KNOW AS WELL, JUST SO THEY KNOW THAT THEIR CHILD IS, YOU KNOW, SEEN AND RESPECTED. 
          WELL, THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. 
          AND WE WANT THANK YOU FOR YOUR HONESTY ABOUT LIKE THE PRINCIPAL ALLOWING YOU TO DO IT, BECAUSE THAT IS THE TRUTH. 
          THAT IS THE REALITY THAT THAT'S WHAT, ESPECIALLY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, UM, THAT IT IS CHALLENGING AND, AND FOR THE REASONS THAT YOU WERE SHARING MR. REYES, RIGHT? THE, JUST THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU ARE FACED WITH AS A PRINCIPAL ABOUT THE MANDATES THAT ARE ON YOU AND THAT THEN YOU HAVE TO PASS ON TO OUR TEACHERS. 
          UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          AND WE ALSO WANT TO ENCOURAGE OUR ADMINISTRATORS, RIGHT, TO TAKE THE LEAD IN MAKING SURE THAT EVERY SINGLE TEACHER KNOWS ABOUT THIS NEW INTER-OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE AROUND RAMADAN. 
          BECAUSE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SENT OUT, UM, RESOURCES IN TERMS OF, UM, OF, UH, CURRICULUM THAT ALSO SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE. 
          AND, UM, I WANNA THANK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU, MS. HENRY. 
          I CAN'T, I WOULD LOVE TO GO VISIT YOUR CLASS IF, UH, MS. SHERETTE HERE LETS ME GO TO HER DISTRICT. 
          BUT I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT. 
          AND THEN I APPRECIATE YOU SAYING HOW THIS IS INTERDISCIPLINARY WORK. 
          IT ISN'T THE WORK OF ONLY ONE. 
          YOU ALL SAID THE SAME THING. 
          THE STUDENTS, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP SPEAKING UP, KEEP ENLIGHTENING US BECAUSE YOU ALL REALLY HOLD SO MUCH MORE KNOWLEDGE THAN US. 
          YOU ARE EXPERIENCING IT. 
          YOU'RE LIVING, UH, YOU KNOW YOUR EDUCATION AND WE LEARNED FROM YOU. 
          AND SO I WANNA ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE SPEAKING UP AND GIVING YOUR IDEAS AND SHARING THEM AND ALSO ENCOURAGING YOUR PEERS WHO ARE YOUNGER THAN YOU SO THAT THEY CAN DO THIS WORK AT THE SCHOOL SITE AND UH, AND CAN CONTINUE SHARING. 
          AND, AND AGAIN, OUR DISTRICT STAFF IS PHIL LEBLANC. 
          I'M SORRY I KEPT CALLING YOU MR. JORDAN , BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          AND OF COURSE, MR. SAEED IN THE BACK, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU. 
          AND AGAIN, TO OUR COMMITTEE. 
          WE WILL CONTINUE THE CONVERSATIONS WITH MARIA. 
          I'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT SCHOOL YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT. 
          AND UM, AND UH, WE ARE GONNA BE BACK IN NOT NEXT MONTH, BUT THE FOLLOWING MONTH I BELIEVE. 
          AND WE DO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND HAND IT OFF TO MIKE. 
          OH, ONE LAST THING. 
          YOU KNOW, WE HAD MR. VVI HERE. 
          UM, I'M SORRY. 
          YOU BACK. 
          THERE HE IS. 
          CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF, MR. VLADI? GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. 
          MY NAME IS JOHN VELA. 
          I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR SECONDARY INSTRUCTION SUPPORTING, UM, DR. 
          BAEZ WHO ALSO IS A PART OF THIS COMMITTEE, UM, OUR CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER. 
          AND IT'S EXCITING TO BE A PART OF THIS. 
          UM, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CURRICULUM, WE LOOK AT THE INSTRUCTION, HAVING DIRECTLY SUPPORT, I MEAN DIRECTLY SUPPORTING SECONDARY INSTRUCTION. 
          AND THEN MY COUNTERPART ALSO SUPPORTING ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTION, HEARING THE DIFFERENT PIECES OF INFORMATION, HEARING ABOUT WHAT'S GOING OUT IN THE FIELD, UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO IMPROVE, HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO GET BETTER? AND CERTAINLY HEARING THE VOICES FROM THE FIELD, UM, AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT ONLY RECOGNIZING THAT, BUT ALSO IMPLEMENTING AS WELL. 
          SO I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT. 
          AND THE ONE, THE ONLY ONE COMMENT, UM, I WANTED TO MAKE IS THAT WE DID PUT OUT THE, UM, THE IOC ON RAM A FEW WEEKS AGO. 
          IT DID GO OUT IN OUR HISTORY, SOCIAL SCIENCE SCHOOLOGY GROUP. 
          IT WAS SENT OUT TO ALL THE PRINCIPALS IN THE WEEKLY INSTRUCTIONAL NEWS, UM, AS 
          [01:50:01]
WELL AS MAKING SURE THAT THE REGIONS KNOW AS WELL. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND YOU KNOW, MR. AVI IS HERE TO HEAR OUR COMMENTS, RIGHT? HE TAKES THAT INFORMATION TO DR. 
          BAAS, SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THEM HERE. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE STAY TILL THE END OF THE MEETING SO WE CAN TAKE A GROUP PICTURE. 
          IF YOU COULD. 
          I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UM, SO MIKE, 
          [V. Public Comment]
WE ARE READY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          OKAY, HERE WE GO. 
          ON PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          HUGO HERNANDEZ, ARE YOU HERE IN PERSON? HUGO HERNANDEZ. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WE'VE GOT A LOT OF FOLKS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK REMOTELY. 
          IMAN MIZA, YOU'RE GOING TO BE FIRST. 
          IMAN MIZA, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF, AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. 
          IMAN NOT HEARING ANYTHING. 
          ARE YOU, ARE YOU THERE? HELLO? YES, WE CAN HEAR. 
          YOU CAN HEAR YOU. 
          UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          MEMBERS OF THE A USC CURRICULUM COMMITTEE. 
          MY NAME IS IMAN MEZA AND I'M A JUNIOR AT CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL. 
          HONESTLY, MY EXPERIENCE NAVIGATING SCHOOL AS A MUSLIM STUDENT HAS BEEN REALLY POSITIVE. 
          AND I KNOW THAT'S LARGELY BECAUSE I'M LUCKY TO HAVE A STRONG MUSLIM COMMUNITY AROUND ME. 
          KNOWING THERE ARE OTHER STUDENTS WHO FOSTERING RAMADAN LIKE ME, PRAY AND SHARE SIMILAR MORALS AND VALUES MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE. 
          IT MEANS I DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO EXPLAIN MYSELF. 
          THERE'S AN UNSPOKEN UNDERSTANDING DURING RAMADAN ESPECIALLY. 
          IT'S COMFORTING TO LOOK AROUND AND KNOW OTHERS ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME EXPERIENCES, WAKING UP EARLY TO EAT, MANAGING SCHOOL WHILE FASTING AND TRYING TO DO OUR BEST ACADEMICALLY. 
          THERE'S SOMETHING POWERFUL ABOUT BEING ABLE TO TURN TO A FRIEND AND SAY, ARE YOU TIRED TOO? AND THEY JUST GET IT. 
          WE CAN EVEN JOKE ABOUT THINGS THAT MAYBE OTHERS WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND, AND THAT SHARED HUMOR AND CONNECTION MAKES SCHOOL FEEL LIGHTER. 
          HAVING FRIENDS I RELATE TO AND TRUST HAS MADE ME FEEL WELCOMED AND SAFE. 
          AND THAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY HAS HELPED SCHOOL FEEL LIKE A PLACE WHERE I TRULY BELONG. 
          IT'S NOT JUST ACADEMICALLY, BUT PERSONALLY, BUT I ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT NOT EVERY STUDENT MUSLIM STUDENT HAS THE SAME EXPERIENCE. 
          NOT EVERY STUDENT HAS A STRONG COMMUNITY AROUND THEM. 
          THAT'S WHY A CONVERSATION ABOUT MUSLIM IDENTITY MATTERS. 
          REPRESENTATION, UNDERSTANDING AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 
          ACKNOWLEDGEMENT CREATES SPACE FOR MOST STUDENTS FEEL THE SAME SENSE OF BELONGING. 
          SOMEONE TO SINCERELY, SINCERELY THANK THE L-A-U-S-C CURRICULUM COMMITTEE FOR BRINGING UP MUSLIM IDENTITY AND FOR BEING WILLING TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION. 
          IT TRULY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WE HAD A INDIVIDUAL SPEAK, UH, SIGN UP TO SPEAK IN PERSON. 
          KHALID, ARE YOU HERE? COME ON UP. 
          CAN WE GET MR, UH, KHALEED HUDSON A, A MICROPHONE? THAT'D BE GREAT. 
          I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE LAYING AROUND. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN, UH, JUST GIMME A SECOND, MR. HUDSON, AND I'LL START A TIMER FOR YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. 
          UH, MY NAME IS KA HUDSON AND I AM A FATHER OF A SECOND GRADER AT SHORT AVENUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BY THE NAME OF, UH, MY SON'S NAME IS KALIL. 
          UM, BUT I'M ALSO THE ADVOCACY MANAGER FOR KLA, WHICH IS THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS. 
          AND JUST A FEW THOUGHTS, UM, JUST SITTING HERE IS, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE, THE KEY WORD FOR ME IS INTERSECTIONALITY. 
          YOU KNOW, I HAPPEN TO BE AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN WHO STUDIED AFRICAN AMERICAN WORLD STUDIES, WHO'S ALSO A MUSLIM. 
          AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF INTERACTION BETWEEN BOTH OF THE TWO PRESENTATIONS THAT WAS LIFTED UP TODAY. 
          AND THE GENTLEMAN, HE, HE STEPPED OUT. 
          BUT ALSO THINK ABOUT SPANISH. 
          THERE'S OVER 4,000 WORDS IN SPANISH THAT ORIGINATE WITH ARABIC BECAUSE THE MUSLIMS, UH, RULED SPAIN FOR 800 YEARS. 
          AND SO THERE'S LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES IF WE, UH, EITHER ALLOW FOR A SPACE WHERE WE CAN EDUCATE OURSELVES TO, TO LEARN ABOUT THESE THINGS, OR PARTNER WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL BE WILLING TO BRING IN, UH, ONE OF THE STUDENTS BROUGHT UP THE CENTER FOR, FOR THE PREVENTION OF BULLYING AND HATE, WHICH IS A ORGANIZATION AFFILIATED WITH, UH, CARE. 
          BUT THEIR WHOLE MISSION IS AROUND HOW DO WE PROVIDE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THE INFORMATION TO HELP TO LIMIT BULLYING HATE WITHIN THE DISTRICTS, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, AND NOW BACK TO MY LITTLE SON, UH, KHALIL MUHAMMAD, THE SECOND GRADER, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, HE'S, IT'S BEAUTIFUL TO SEE HIM COME HOME AND SHARE THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HE'S LEARNED AT SCHOOLS ABOUT THE VARIOUS DIFFERENT HOLIDAYS AND HIS DAYS OFF. 
          AND I KNOW HE'S WAITING FOR HIS OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, WE LEARNED ABOUT RAMADAN THIS MORNING. 
          HE WOKE UP AND SAID, HEY, DADDY, ARE YOU FASTING? I SAID, YES, I'M FASTING. 
          HE SAID, WELL, I'M GONNA FAST TOO. 
          YOU KNOW, I TOLD HIM YOU COULD FAST AFTER LUNCH. 
          BUT YOU KNOW, IT DOES A LOT FOR A CHILD, UM, TO SEE SOMETHING ABOUT THEMSELVES, EVEN AT A VERY EARLY AGE. 
          MY SON IS A, OBVIOUSLY I'M BIASED, HE'S A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG MAN. 
          UM, BUT HIS TEACHERS WILL TELL YOU HE'S VERY PRINCIPLED, 
          [01:55:01]
HE'S VERY CENTERED ABOUT WHAT'S RIGHT AND WRONG. 
          HE'S VERY CENTERED ABOUT WHO HE IS. 
          AND SO, UH, I, I HOPE YOU'RE THE BEST IN THIS, BUT WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU ANY WAY THAT WE CAN. 
          APOLOGIES FOR THAT VERY LOUD DING. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. 
          UH, RA ALI, I SEE YOU'RE SPEAKING REMOTELY. 
          ARA ALI, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF, AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. 
          HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES, I, I CAN. 
          PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          HI, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MEMBERS OF THE A USD CURRICULUM COMMITTEE. 
          MY NAME IS ARA ALI, AND I SERVE AS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE MUSLIM PARENT ASSOCIATION. 
          I'M ALSO A SCHOOL, UM, THROUGH THE MUSLIM PARENT ASSOCIATION. 
          WE DO RECEIVE LIKE MANY CONCERNS FROM MUSLIM PARENTS ACROSS THE DISTRICT. 
          MANY ARE BASICALLY WORRIED ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN BEING BULLIED, O OTHERS SHARE THAT THEIR CHILDREN FEEL ISOLATED OR MISUNDERSTOOD, OR EVEN LEFT OUT, UM, ESPECIALLY DURING RAMADAN OR WHEN THE WORLD EVENTS PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON MUSLIM COMMUNITIES. 
          SO THIS DISCUSSION, IT'S, IT'S A HUGE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. 
          MUSLIM STUDENT POPULATIONS ARE, YOU KNOW, STEADILY, UH, I FEEL LIKE ARE INCREASING. 
          UM, AND WITH THE GROWTH COMES THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THEY FEEL SAFE, SEEN, SUPPORTED, AND RECOGNIZING RAMADAN HAS BEEN DEEPLY APPRECIATED BY MANY NUMEROUS FAMILIES. 
          UM, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU, AS YOU HEARD FROM OTHER SPEAKERS TODAY, WE NEED DEDICATED SCHOOL CLIMATE ADVOCATES WHO ARE TRAINED TO SUPPORT STUDENTS NAVIGATING RELIGIOUS IDENTITY, ESPECIALLY DURING THESE TIMES WHEN IMMIGRANTS AND EVEN MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES ARE BEING TARGETED. 
          UH, WE NEED EDUCATORS TO FEEL EQUIPPED, NOT HESITANT TO HAVE LIKE BASIC RESPECTFUL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OUR MUSLIM STUDENTS DURING RAMADAN AND EVEN BEYOND. 
          SO IT'S, UM, NOT ABOUT CREATING VIS, IT'S ABOUT STRENGTHENING BELONGING. 
          AND WHEN OUR STUDENTS FEEL PROTECTED AND VALUED, THEY DO THRIVE. 
          UM, WHEN FAMILIES SEE THEIR IDENTITIES BEING ACKNOWLEDGED, TRUST IN THE SYSTEM IS GONNA GROW. 
          SO WE CAN DO MORE AND WE SHOULD. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR OPENING THIS DOOR. 
          WE LOOK FORWARD TO PARTNERING WITH YOU, UM, TO ENSURE MUSLIM STUDENTS ACROSS L-A-U-S-D FEEL SAFE AND RESPECTED AND EVEN EMPOWERED. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          ALL RIGHT, LET'S SEE. 
          AKIRA FUTO, I SEE YOU'RE ON THE LINE, AKIRA F PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. 
          AKIRA. 
          HELLO. 
          HI. 
          UM, GOOD EVENING. 
          MY NAME IS AKIRA OLA FUTO, AND I AM A NINTH GRADER AT THE LA ZOO MAGNET IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD HIGH. 
          I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS WITH YOU MY EXPERIENCES AS A MUSLIM STUDENT WITHIN LASD AND TO MAKE REA ACCOMMODATIONS FOR HOW TO ENHANCE, IMPROVE CURRICULUM AND PRACTICES FOR MUSLIM STUDENTS FAMILIES, AND TO PROMOTE MULTICULTURAL AWARENESS AMONGST THE BROADER LESD COMMUNITY. 
          FIRST OFF, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THE WAYS LESD SCHOOLS CAN SUPPORT MUSLIM STUDENTS BY MAKING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR RELIGIOUS PRACTICE. 
          WHEN I FIRST STARTED AT THE LA ZOO MAGNET, MY MOM ASKED THE SCHOOL FRONT DESK TO ACCOMMODATE MY DAILY PRAYERS. 
          THE SCHOOL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL CALLED MY MOM RIGHT AWAY AND ASKED HOW THE SCHOOL WOULD SUPPORT ME. 
          NOW I CAN GO INTO ANY CLASSROOM DURING LUNCH AND FOR A AFTER CLASS IN ANY CLASSROOM, PEOPLE DO NOT JUDGE ME AND THEY GIVE ME MY SPACE, WHICH MAKES ME FEEL WELCOME AND SUPPORTED AT MY SCHOOL, AS WELL AS CONTRIBUTING TO AN ENVIRONMENT OF TOLERANCE AND ACCEPTANCE. 
          ANOTHER KEY IS TO TEACH CURRICULUM IN STUDIES THAT ADDRESSES THE DIVERSITY OF MUSLIM EXPERIENCE IN LOS ANGELES AND THE US. 
          FOR EXAMPLE, MANY PEOPLE ARE UNAWARE THAT THE LARGEST MUSLIM ETHNIC GROUP IN THE US ARE AFRICAN-AMERICANS AT 20% OF THE TOTAL POPULATION. 
          OUR, OUR CURRICULUM NEEDS TO REFLECT THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF GREAT AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSLIM LEADERS SUCH AS MALCOLM X, MUHAMMAD ALI, IL OMI, FORMERLY KNOWN AS H RAP BROWN, AS WELL AS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSLIMS TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE MOVEMENTS IN LOS ANGELES. 
          MANY OF THE ELDERS OF THE MOSQUE I ATTEND IN SOUTH LA WERE LEADERS OF THE MOVEMENT AGAINST RACISM AND FOR SELF-DETERMINATION FOR THEIR COMMUNITY. 
          A CURRICULUM TO REFLECT THESE STORIES WOULD BE INSPIRATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL, ESPECIALLY IN DIFFICULT TIMES FOR STUDENTS OF COLOR. 
          ADDITIONALLY, AS A MUSLIM OF JAPANESE, MEXICAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN DESCENT, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO TEACH HOW THE FASTEST GROWN GROUP OF MUSLIMS IN THE US ARE LATINOS, OR CURRENTLY AT 11% OF THE TOTAL MUSLIM POPULATION UP FROM 4% A DECADE EARLIER. 
          RECOGNIZING LUSD HAS A VERY HIGH POPULATION OF LATINO STUDENTS. 
          HAVING A CURRICULUM THAT REFLECTS THE EXPERIENCES AND STORIES OF LATINO MUSLIMS, AS WELL AS HOW ISLAM 
          [02:00:01]
HAS IMPACTED LATINO COMMUNITIES WOULD BE OF BENEFIT TO STUDENTS. 
          I'M GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THIS TO THE COMMUNITY, AND I HOPE YOU CAN TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION SOME OF MY RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          UH, NAREEN NAFE, I SEE YOU'RE ON THE LINE, NAREEN. 
          PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. 
          NAREEN NAREEN, ARE YOU WITH US? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE SURE CAN. 
          PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          OKAY. 
          MY NAME IS NAREEN NAFE AND I'M A PARENT OF TWO CHILDREN, UM, WHO ATTEND PORTER RANCH COMMUNITY SCHOOL. 
          UH, PRCS IS VERY DIVERSE. 
          THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES AND FAITH BACKGROUNDS, INCLUDING MUSLIM FAMILIES LIKE MINE. 
          UM, AND AS A PARENT, I CANNOT FULLY EXPRESS HOW MUCH IT MEANS WHEN INITIATIVES ARE TAKEN TO BRING AWARENESS TO RAMADAN. 
          AND SO THE MUSLIM FAITH, WHEN MY CHILD WALKS INTO SCHOOL DURING RAMADAN AND SEES ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, WHETHER IT'S A SIMPLE MENTION, A LESSON, OR A MOMENT OF RECOGNITION, IT TELLS THEM THEY'RE SEEN. 
          IT TELLS THEM THEY DO NOT HAVE TO FEEL DIFFERENT LEFT OUT OR ASHAMED OF WHO THEY ARE. 
          AND I FEEL LIKE ONCE WHEN THEY'RE, UM, INCLUDED AND THEIR CULTURE'S INCLUDED, I FEEL LIKE THEY DO BETTER. 
          UM, WE SEND OUR CHILDREN TO L-A-U-S-D SCHOOLS TRUSTING THAT ADMINISTRATION WILL PROTECT AND EDUCATE THEM, BUT IT HAS TO GO BEYOND SAFETY AND ACADEMICS. 
          SCHOOL IS NOT JUST ABOUT TEST SCORES, IT'S ABOUT BUILDING COMMUNITY. 
          IT'S ABOUT SHAPING CHARACTER, AND IT'S ABOUT TEACHING EMPATHY. 
          WE ARE NOT RAISING ROBOTS. 
          WE ARE RAISING HUMAN BEINGS WHO WILL GROW INTO ADULTS THAT WORK AND LIVE ALONGSIDE PEOPLE WITH EVERY BACKGROUND IMAGINABLE. 
          IF THEY DO NOT LEARN EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING IN SCHOOL, THEN YOU KNOW, WHERE WILL THEY LEARN IT. 
          AS MANY OF THE SPEAKERS TODAY HAVE SHARED, UM, REPRESENTATION MATTERS A LOT, AND WE SEE STUDENTS, UM, BEING REFLECTIVE POSITIVELY IN WHAT THEY LEARN. 
          IT STRENGTHENS THEIR CONFIDENCE. 
          AND WHEN OTHER STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT COMMUNITIES DIFFERENT FROM THEIR OWN, IT BUILDS RESPECT INSTEAD OF STEREOTYPES. 
          SO I RESPECTFULLY ASK, PLEASE CONTINUE THIS WORK. 
          PLEASE DEEPEN IT. 
          PLEASE DO BETTER. 
          UM, OUR CHILDREN DESERVE SCHOOLS WHERE BELONGING IS NOT AN EXCEPTION, BUT IT BUT THE STANDARD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          THE NEXT SPEAKER IS RAHAN BAG RAHAN B. 
          PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK WHEN SHE BEGIN. 
          UH, HELLO. 
          CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? WE CAN PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, HELLO AND ISLAM. 
          MY NAME IS HAN BES. 
          I'M A SENIOR AT GRANADA HILLS CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL, AND I ALSO SERVE AS THE AMBASSADOR OF THE MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIATION AT OUR SCHOOL. 
          UM, I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS MY ABILITY AND THE ABILITY OF MANY OTHER MUSLIM STUDENTS TO FULLY SHOW UP AT SCHOOL AS BOTH STUDENTS AND OURSELVES AT MANY CHARTER SCHOOLS, INCLUDING MINE. 
          THERE'S NO DESIGNATED SPACE FOR MUSLIM STUDENTS TO PRAY, AND THIS IS SOMETHING SEVERAL OF US HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET IMPLEMENTED AT GRANADA HILLS CHARTER, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY PROGRESS AND IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE, UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEING PRIORITIZED. 
          AND FOR MUSLIM STUDENTS, PRAYER IS NOT SOMETHING OPTIONAL. 
          IT IS A REQUIRED PART OF OUR DAILY FAITH. 
          AND DURING RAMADAN ESPECIALLY, THIS BECOMES EVEN MORE IMPORTANT. 
          MANY OF US ARE FASTING ALL DAY, MANAGING OUR ACADEMIC WORKLOAD, EXTRACURRICULARS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, AND AT THE SAME TIME TRYING TO PRAY. 
          LOVE HER, ALSO KNOWN AS THE NOON PRAYER, AND SOMETIMES EVEN USHER, ALSO KNOWN AS THE MIDDAY PRAYER ON TIME. 
          BUT WITHOUT A SPACE TO DO THAT, WE'RE LEFT WITH DIFFICULT CHOICES. 
          AND WITH THAT, I ASK, DO WE MISS PRAYER OR DO WE HAVE TO FIND A CORNER SOMEWHERE AND HOPE THAT WE JUST DON'T GET IN TROUBLE? DO WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG FOR JUST PRACTICING OUR FAITH? AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHERE MY FRIENDS AND I WOULD PRAY OUTSIDE OR IN PUBLIC DO NOT HAVING ANYWHERE ELSE TO PRAY. 
          I'VE PERSONALLY REACHED OUT AND TRY TO ADVOCATE FOR ACCOMMODATIONS, BUT I'VE BEEN MET WITH LITTLE TO NO RESPONSE. 
          AND THAT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING TO ME. 
          IT FEELS LIKE OUR CONCERNS AREN'T BEING HEARD, AND WHEN STUDENTS FEEL AND WHEN STUDENTS FEEL IGNORED, IT SENDS A MESSAGE, EVEN THOUGH THAT MAY NOT BE THE INTENTION. 
          NOW I WANT TO CLARIFY THAT WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR SPECIAL TREATMENT, BUT WE'RE ASKING FOR EQUITABLE ACCESS. 
          THE SAME WAY OTHER STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO PRACTICE THEIR BELIEFS OR PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES THAT MATTER TO THEM. 
          THAT'S WHY THIS CONVERSATION IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. 
          AND IF THE L-A-U-S-D CURRICULUM COMMITTEE IS ADDRESSING MUSLIM STUDENT IDENTITY AND INCLUSION, WE HOPE THIS INITIATIVE CAN ALSO INFLUENCE CHARTER SCHOOLS LIKE MINE AS WELL. 
          STUDENTS ACROSS ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS DESERVE TO FEEL RESPECTED AND SUPPORTED. 
          AND TO ME, THAT INCLUDES PROVIDING MUSLIM STUDENTS WITH A SAFE PLACE TO PRAY THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL DAY. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THE NEXT CALLER IS SO HI TARIQ, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF, AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. 
          SO, HI TARIQ. 
          HI. 
          AS SURE. 
          CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? WE SURE CAN. 
          PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          PERFECT. 
          PERFECT. 
          UH, GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE A USD CURRICULUM COMMITTEE AND WA 
          [02:05:01]
HAN. 
          UH, MY NAME IS ADE. 
          I'M THE FATHER OF TWO MUSLIM DAUGHTERS WHO ATTEND HIGH SCHOOL. 
          HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MUSLIM IDENTITY IS, IS DEEPLY MEANINGFUL TO ME, ESPECIALLY AS A PARENT. 
          EVERY DAY WHEN I DROP OFF MY DAUGHTERS TO SCHOOL, I EXPECT THEM TO LEARN AND GROW. 
          AND I ALSO WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE PROTECTED, NOT JUST PHYSICALLY, BUT EMOTIONALLY AND SOCIALLY, AND I NEVER WANT THEM TO FEEL ASHAMED OF BEING A MUSLIM. 
          UM, AT THE SAME TIME, I DO WANT TO BE CLEAR, BEING MUSLIM IS ONLY ONE PART OF WHO THEY ARE. 
          MY GIRLS ARE HONOR STUDENTS. 
          THEY ARE LEADERS. 
          THEY ARE BOTH BLACK BELT TAEKWONDO ATHLETES. 
          PART OF ENROLLING THEM IN MARTIAL ARTS WAS PRACTICAL. 
          I WANT THEM TO BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. 
          I KNOW, UH, I WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT THEY CAN DEFEND THEMSELVES IF IT'S EVER, IF THEY EVER CAME TO THAT. 
          BUT MORE THAN THAT, BEING PART OF THAT ACTIVITY BUILDS CONFIDENCE. 
          IT REINFORCES TO THEM THAT THEY'RE STRONG, CAPABLE, AND DISCIPLINED. 
          UNFORTUNATELY, MUSLIMS ARE OFTEN PORTRAYED IN AN ACTIVE LIGHT IN THE MEDIA. 
          MUSLIM WOMEN ESPECIALLY ARE STEREOTYPED AS OPPRESSED OR POWERFUL AS POWERLESS. 
          SORRY. 
          UM, AS A FATHER, THAT CONCERNS ME. 
          I DON'T WANT MY DAUGHTERS ABSORBING MESSAGES DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY THAT THEY ARE SOMEHOW LESS THAN ANYONE ELSE OR LESS EMPOWERED. 
          I WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE EQUAL, THAT THEY'RE CAPABLE, THAT THEIR FAITH DOES NOT LIMIT THEM, IT STRENGTHENS THEM AND ALLOWS THEM TO BE POSITIVE AND CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS OF OUR SOCIETY. 
          WHEN SCHOOLS BRING REPRESENTATION INTO THE CURRICULUM AND HIGHLIGHT THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PROMINENT MUSLIMS IN HISTORY, SCIENCE, ARTS, PUBLIC SERVICE AND BEYOND, IT CHALLENGES THOSE STEREOTYPES. 
          IT REPLACES ASSUMPTIONS WITH FACT. 
          IT REPLACES PREJUDICE WITH EMPATHY AND OBJECTIVITY, AND IT GIVES STUDENTS MUSLIMS AND NON-MUSLIMS ALIKE, A FULLER, MORE ACCURATE UNDERSTANDING. 
          WE CAN DO BETTER FOR OUR CHILDREN, AND CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS ARE A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. 
          SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR DISCUSSING THIS. 
          THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THAT IDENTITY, REPRESENTATION AND BELONGING MATTERS. 
          OUR CHILDREN DESERVE NOTHING LESS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          THE NEXT SPEAKER IS, IS ALINA COUTURE. 
          ALINA, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. 
          ALINA K. 
          HELLO. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          HI. 
          HI. 
          WE CAN HEAR YOU. 
          PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          OKAY. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          UM, SORRY. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          MEMBERS OF THE A SD CURRICULUM COMMITTEE. 
          MY NAME IS ALINA COUTURE AND I'M AN EIGHTH GRADE STUDENT AT NOBEL MIDDLE SCHOOL. 
          OVERALL, MY EXPERIENCE AS A MUSLIM STUDENT HAS BEEN POSITIVE, BUT IT WASN'T ALWAYS THAT WAY. 
          THERE WERE TIMES WHERE I RECEIVED BACKLASH BECAUSE I'M MUSLIM. 
          I'VE HAD PEOPLE MAKE COMMENTS LIKE ASKING IF I WAS GOING TO BOMB SOMEONE OR SAYING THAT NINE 11 WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN, HAPPEN AGAIN, AND THAT MY PEOPLE WERE RESPONSIBLE. 
          EVEN IF THOSE COMMENTS WERE MEANT AS JOKES, THEY DIDN'T FEEL LIKE JOKES TO ME. 
          THEY HURT. 
          IT FELT LIKE I WAS BEING BLAND FOR THE ACTIONS OF INDIVIDUALS I'VE NEVER MET, JUST BECAUSE OF HOW MUSLIMS ARE OFTEN PORTRAYED IN MEDIA. 
          WHEN YOU CONSTANTLY SEE NEGATIVE HEADLINES, PEOPLE START TO MAKE ASSUMPTIONS. 
          AND SOMETIMES THOSE, SOMETIMES THOSE ASSU ASSUMPTIONS SHOW UP IN CLASSROOMS. FOR A WHILE, THAT MADE ME WANT TO STAY QUIET AND NOT STAND OUT. 
          BUT AS I'VE GROWN MORE CONFIDENT AND COME OUT OF MY SHELL, MY EXPERIENCE HAS IMPROVED. 
          MY FRIENDS HAVE BEEN REALLY SUPPORTIVE, ESPECIALLY DURING RAMADAN. 
          WHEN I'M FASTING, THEY CHECK IN ON ME, THEY'RE UNDERSTANDING AND THEY MAKE ME FEEL INCLUDED. 
          MY TEACHERS HAVE ALSO BEEN SUPPORTIVE. 
          THEY MAKE SURE THAT WHEN SNAPS ARE HANDED OUT, I'M NOT GIVEN ANYTHING WITH POOR GELATIN. 
          THOSE SMALL ACTIONS MEANT A LOT. 
          THEY SHOW AWARENESS AND RESPECT. 
          THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THESE CONVERSATIONS MATTER. 
          WHEN SCHOOLS TALK OPENLY ABOUT MUSLIM IDENTITY, IT REDUCES STEREOTYPES AND HELPS MUSLIM AND HELPS MUSLIM STUDENTS FEEL SEEN INSTEAD OF MISUNDERSTOOD. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR STARTING THIS CONVERSATION AND FOR TAKING STEPS TO MAKE SCHOOLS MORE INCLUSIVE FOR EVERYONE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          THE NEXT SPEAKER IS, HAS AMI. 
          PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF, AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. 
          HASSAH. 
          HELLO? HI. 
          WE CAN HEAR YOU. 
          PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          OKAY, PERFECT. 
          UM, GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE LAUC CURRICULUM COMMITTEE. 
          MY NAME IS KMI. 
          I'M A SECOND, FOURTH GRADE, UH, TEACHER WITH L-A-U-S-D VIRTUAL ACADEMIES. 
          I'M ALSO A PROUD MUSLIM AND SOMEONE WHOSE EDUCATION WAS SHAPED BY L-A-U-S-D SCHOOLS. 
          I'M SPEAKING TODAY, NOT ONLY AS AN EDUCATOR, BUT AS SOMEONE WHO GREW UP IN THESE SCHOOLS. 
          FROM BOTH PERSPECTIVES, I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT THERE HAVE HAD BEEN LITTLE 
          [02:10:01]
TO NO MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION OF MUSLIM STUDENTS IN THE CURRICULUM. 
          MUSLIM STUDENTS ARE INCREDIBLY DIVERSE. 
          THERE ARE BLACK, HISPANIC, ASIAN, MIDDLE EASTERN, AFRICAN AMERICAN, AND SO MUCH MORE. 
          IN MANY CASES, UNLESS A STUDENT WEARS A HIJAB OR THEIR FIRST NAME IS MOHAMMAD, YOU MIGHT NOT EVEN REALIZE THEY'RE MUSLIM. 
          THAT INVISIBILITY CAN MAKE IT EASY FOR THEIR EXPERIENCES TO BE OVERLOOKED. 
          UM, DURING RAMADAN ESPECIALLY, EMPATHY GOES A LONG WAY. 
          A STUDENT WHO SEEMS TIRED OR QUIETER THAN USUAL OR WHO CHOOSES NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN CLASS MAY SIMPLY BE FASTING. 
          A SMALL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM A TEACHER OR JUST A MOMENT OF UNDERSTANDING CAN MAKE A STUDENT FEEL RESPECTED INSTEAD OF SINGLED OUT. 
          EVEN AS A TEACHER DURING RAMADAN, IT COULD BE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY EXHAUSTING. 
          WE ARE FASTING, CONTINUING OUR FULL RESPONSIBILITIES AND STILL SHOWING UP FOR STUDENTS, UM, FOR OUR STUDENTS EVERY DAY, HAVING, UH, SUPPORT FROM AN ADMINISTRATIONS AND FAMILIES AS WELL. 
          UM, EVEN JUST UNDERSTANDING WHAT RAMADAN IS AND WHAT IT REQUIRES CAN MAKE A MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE IN MY OWN CLASSROOM. 
          THE DAY BEFORE RAMADAN, I MADE IT A POINT TO TEACH A LESSON ABOUT RAMADAN AND EID TO DEEPLY, UM, IMPORTANT HOLIDAYS IN MY LIFE. 
          THEY, I WANTED MY STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND NOT JUST THE FACTS, BUT WHAT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE IN MY LIFE. 
          AND I WANTED THEM TO SEE A PERSPECTIVE THEY MAY HAVE NEVER BEEN EXPOSED TO BEFORE. 
          THE WAY THEY RESPONDED TO ME WAS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. 
          THEY WERE SURPRISED, THEY WERE CURIOUS AND GENUINELY ENGAGED. 
          AND ON THE FIRST DAY OF RAMADAN, MOST OF MY STUDENTS WERE ASKING, MS. SMI, HOW ARE YOU FEELING? ARE YOU TIRED? HOW CAN WE MAKE CLASS EASY FOR YOU TODAY? UM, THIS SHOWED ME THAT EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING HAD NOT ONLY TAKEN ROOT IN MY CLASSROOM, BUT IN MY STUDENTS AS WELL, THAT AWARENESS AND EMPATHY MATTER FOR BOTH STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS. 
          IT'S A SMALL ASK, BUT IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE. 
          AS A STUDENT, I REMEMBER HEARING PASSIVE COMMENTS ABOUT ISLAM BEING OPPRESSIVE. 
          I REMEMBER SITTING QUIETLY WISHING I HAD THE CONFIDENCE TO SPEAK UP ABOUT IT. 
          UM, I OFTEN WISH I COULD GO BACK AND EXPLAIN THAT ISLAM AT ITS CORE, TEACHES PEACE, MODERATION, COMPASSION, AND SERVICE. 
          WHEN THERE'S NO REPRESENTATION, STEREOTYPES FILL THE SILENCE. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          UH, ZACHARY MARQUI, YOU'RE OUR LAST CALLER. 
          PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. 
          AND YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. 
          ZACHARY MARQUI. 
          I SEE YOU'RE ONLINE WITH US. 
          ZACHARY, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I'M THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR AT INTERCULTURAL NETWORKS GROUP, OR ING. 
          SINCE 1993, IN G'S BEEN DELIVERING PRESENTATIONS AND SEMINARS ABOUT MUSLIM AMERICANS AS WELL AS INTER-RELIGIOUS AND INTER-ETHNIC PANELS AT SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES, BUSINESSES, AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. 
          WE OFFER VARIOUS PRESENTATIONS VIA ZOOM AND IN PERSON, INCLUDING EDUCATOR TRAININGS ON MUSLIMS AND THEIR FAITH, ISLAMOPHOBIA AND ITS IMPACT ON MUSLIM STUDENTS AND OTHER SUBJECTS. 
          PRESENTATIONS FOR STUDENTS GRADES SEVEN THROUGH 12 ABOUT MUSLIMS INCLUDING GETTING TO KNOW MUSLIM AMERICANS IN THEIR FAITH, RAMADAN AND FASTING AND OTHER SUBJECTS. 
          ALSO MUSLIM JEWISH PANELS ABOUT UNDERSTANDING, ENCOUNTERING BOTH ISLAMOPHOBIA AND ANTISEMITISM TOGETHER. 
          AND FINALLY, INTER-RELIGIOUS AND INTER-ETHNIC PANELS WITH SPEAKERS REPRESENTING VARIOUS COMMUNITIES. 
          ALSO MENTIONED WE HAVE EDUCATOR LESSON PLANS AND ONLINE PRESENTATIONS THAT SUPPLEMENT CONTENT STANDARDS AND CURRICULUM IN SCHOOLS. 
          AGAIN FOR GRADES SEVEN THROUGH 12, INCLUDING MUSLIM CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATION AND A HISTORY OF MUSLIMS IN AMERICA. 
          THESE LESSON PLANS ARE IDEAL FOR ETHNIC STUDIES, SOCIAL STUDIES, US AND WORLD HISTORY COURSES. 
          YOU CAN ACCESS ALL OF OUR RESOURCES@WWW.NG.ORG. 
          WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO SUPPORT LA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT IN ITS EFFORTS TO THOUGHTFULLY UPLIFT MUSLIM IDENTITY AND ENSURE THAT MUSLIM STUDENTS FEEL ACKNOWLEDGED AND VALUED. 
          THANKS SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. 
          WE'VE TAKEN COPIOUS NOTES AND WE WILL BE USING THAT TO, UH, HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN FOR COMING HERE. 
          IF YOU CAN, UH, COME UP AT THE END AND SO WE CAN TAKE A GROUP PICTURE. 
          THANK YOU.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.