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Another opportunity for community groups and members to help the youth of the community ... but how?

  Last modified: November 14, 2015

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A couple of days ago, Post Bulletin reports that: "Rochester Public Schools is making changes required by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights after a five-year compliance review revealed that black students were being disproportionately disciplined."  

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A couple of days ago, Post Bulletin reports that: "Rochester Public Schools is making changes required by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights after a five-year compliance review revealed that black students were being disproportionately disciplined."


Similar situations have been reported throughout the country, including in Minneapolis and St. Paul, as thousands of school districts have struggled to comply with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Title VI issue prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin by recipients of federal financial assistance.

 

 

The following PB's article points out disparity stats that include:

  • Black students totaled 12.5 percent of enrollment in the 2011-12 school year, but were subject to 34.9 percent of all district disciplines.
  • Black students also represent nine of the district's 26 expulsions — 34.6 percent — since 2011.

 

 
Posted: Saturday, November 14, 2015 11:54 am | Updated: 11:59 am, Sat Nov 14, 2015.

Brett Boese, bboese@postbulletin.com

The Post-Bulletin recently obtained a copy of the OCR paperwork from Illinois, originally dated Sept. 9, that reveals the percentage of black students suspended is three times higher than their proportion in the student population.

For instance, black students totaled 12.5 percent of enrollment in the 2011-12 school year, but were subject to 34.9 percent of all district disciplines. Black students also represent nine of the district's 26 expulsions — 34.6 percent — since 2011.

As part of the agreement, the OCR will continue to monitor Rochester Public Schools for the next three school years.

Superintendent Michael Munoz says the discipline totals are a concern and will continue to be tracked, but he declined to say whether the figures would be made available publicly in subsequent years.

"We are concerned about all of our discipline and student behavior and how we handle it," Mu noz said. "Are we concerned about it? Yes, but we're concerned about all of our student behavior. Obviously, we want all of our students to behave well and be in school. We need them in the buildings to learn."

That statement did not sit well with Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage's Kolloh Nimley, a program specialist for the state organization's Rochester office. She was unaware of the discipline disparity and corresponding five-year compliance review until asked for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Nimley was critical of the district's lack of public disclosure on the long-standing issue, along with Munoz's big-picture comment to a race-specific issue.

"Those number here are not about all of our students, they're about black students," Nimley said. "He didn't answer the question. You don't beat around the bush. I know all about 'Minnesota Nice,' but face the issue. What are you doing about it?

"Let's put some urgency to this. We can't drag our feet."

The school district issued a press release Sept. 2 declaring that the "OCR carefully reviewed all available data and found no evidence of intentional discrimination or any wrongdoing by RPS."

The district's press release did not include any discipline data, and the district declined P-B requests for the OCR documents at that time, citing student data privacy.

The OCR's 15-page filing on Sept. 9 provided detailed breakdowns of the disparate impacts and included a summary statement that states: "Prior to the conclusion of OCR's investigation and compliance determinations under Title VI, and before OCR had evaluated whether, for example, the disparities in imposition in discipline were or were not legally justified, the District expressed interest in voluntarily resolving the review with an agreement. Accordingly, OCR is not making compliance determinations under Title VI."


 

The following PB article points out that community forum are planned for late 2015 or early 2015 to solicit feedback from parents and other stakeholder.

 

Posted: Saturday, November 14, 2015 11:58 am | Updated: 7:40 pm, Sat Nov 14, 2015.

Brett Boese, bboese@postbulletin.com

......


Community forums are tentatively planned for late 2015 or early 2016 to solicit feedback from parents and other stakeholders. Those dialogues are required by the OCR as a way to begin correcting the complicated issue, but Lewis says that race-related topics are frequently discussed at dialogue sessions.

Lewis says those meetings couldn't be scheduled until language in the new handbook was approved by OCR.

"These are pieces where we really need to enlist the input of families and the community," Lewis said.

But the discipline disparities aren't new issues with Rochester Public Schools.

The P-B recently obtained a letter that former Superintendent Romain Dallemand sent to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights that says the district has been attempting corrective action since 2007. The letter is dated Nov. 30, 2010.

"As a result of analyzing our discipline data and the disproportionalities which exist, our schools have implemented a number of strategies in the site's Integrated Improvement Plans and the Site in Need of Improvement Plans to decrease the number of referrals for our black and brown students," Dallemand wrote.

Kolloh Nimley, a program specialist for the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage's Rochester office, expressed frustration that parents have yet to be informed of the discipline disparity, an issue that's apparently almost a decade old. She contends that district initiatives are doomed to fail — or continue failing, based on the stagnant numbers — without such public collaboration.

"It's frustrating, but there's a beginning for everything," Nimley said. "Rochester just got a referendum passed. I'm hoping and praying some of that money will get used to address the problems raised here.

"But until we get parents involved, it's not going to work."

New discipline supervisor

Afolabi Runsewe was hired over the summer to serve as the district's point man to address the discipline disparities.

His official title is Principal on Special Assignment: Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning, but he was also appointed as the district's Discipline Supervisor on Aug. 15, as required by the district's agreement with the OCR. He's working closely with the Great Lakes Equity Center in Indianapolis, which has partnered with the district for the next three years, to "strengthen the effectiveness of existing policies and practices," per OCR requirements.

Rochester Superintendent Michael Munoz helped interview Runsewe, but declined to answer specific questions about him last week, citing employee confidentiality. The district's new discipline supervisor was not made available for questions after the P-B obtained the full OCR report on the discipline disparities.

Capt. John Sherwin of the Rochester Police Department, who supervises the five liaison officers deployed within district buildings, said last week that he was unaware of Runsewe and his role as discipline supervisor.

Lewis and Runsewe previously worked together in the St. Paul School District — where similar discipline disparities exist — but did not know each other, Lewis said.

"The heart of Afolabi's position is to really work on closing that gap," said Lewis, who is his supervisor.

Runsewe's resume says he has the "ability to generate new ideas, analyze problems and develop effective solutions," claiming he's someone who "relates well and works cooperatively with diverse populations."

 

The above points out opportunities for area groups to contribute and help. 

In the next few months, we hope to find more information how openBEAM.net or other community groups can engage:

A community-wide approach to address long-term growth and disparity problems is in order:

  • What is the engagement process?
  • How do we measure progress?
  • Who are accountable? 
  • How can we all work together?

 

We look forward to knowing more about the path forward from the new office of "Principal on Special Assignment: Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning" headed by  Afolabi Runsewe who was hired over the summer to serve as the district's point man to address discipline disparities.

 

 

Impact Levels

  Impact Lvl 1: Children & Youth ; Diversity and Inclusion ; Education ; Governance/Public Policy

 

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Related Reports

 

Other Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) Pinned Reports

September 15, 2023 : RPS Board Consider Updating District Equity Policy
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2: C2C: 3rd Grade Reading, C2C: 8th Grade Math, C2C: Post-Secondary, C2C: Workforce Participation

RPS Board Study Session video recording; Proposed Equity Policy; PB Reporting


July 26, 2023 : 2022-2023 RPS Disipline Data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

According to the district’s data, suspensions increased from 1,224 in 2021-22 to 1,523 in 2022-23, representing a jump of 24.4%."


July 20, 2022 : Outcome and Discipline Data 2021-2022
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

RPS 2021-2022 Monitoring Reports


July 21, 2020 : Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) 2019 -2020
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

2019 and 2020 RPS Data: July 14, 2020 School Board Meeting, 2019-2020 First Semester, Achievement and Integration Plan Updates 2020

 


September 23, 2019 : Analysis of RPS referal data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

Phil Wheeler analysis of RPS referral data.


July 17, 2019 : Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights)
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

2018-2019 Report presented to RPS school board and comparison with 2018 reporting. 


August 24, 2017 : August 2017 Update of June 27 RPS Board Study of 2016-2017 discipline data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

August updating the 2017-06-27 RPS Board Study of discipline data with school breakdown. 


March 09, 2016 : Consultant interim identification on barriers
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

Great Lakes Equity Center has identified 6 barriers for equity progress.


January 05, 2016 : An openBEAM 5+1 proposal to address school disciplinary dispairty
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Governance/Public Policy
Impact Lvl2:

 The Rochester Public School District is taking the first steps to address a disproportionate disciplinary rate for black and Hispanic students. A community engagement session to get input and solicit involvement from community members will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 at Riverside Elementary School. I believe that conversation is necessary but not sufficient. We need to follow up with actions. Here is a 5+1 action plan.

 


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Pinned Rochester Public Schools organization and project reports

. Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : September 29, 2023 : Technology Referendum for the Rochester schools
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Commitment, Education, Governance/Public Policy, STEM, Technology Enablement
Impact Lvl2:

1. Post Bulletin: Rochester 10 Year, $ 10M+ school funding referendum Op ED PB: Kent Pekel: "Why I recommended a technology referendum for the Rochester schools"; 2. School Board Study Session; 3. Official YouTube Presentation


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : September 15, 2023 : RPS Board Consider Updating District Equity Policy
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2: C2C: 3rd Grade Reading, C2C: 8th Grade Math, C2C: Post-Secondary, C2C: Workforce Participation

RPS Board Study Session video recording; Proposed Equity Policy; PB Reporting


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 26, 2023 : 2022-2023 RPS Disipline Data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

According to the district’s data, suspensions increased from 1,224 in 2021-22 to 1,523 in 2022-23, representing a jump of 24.4%."


Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : April 25, 2023 : Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan 2022
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Governance/Public Policy
Impact Lvl2: C2C: 3rd Grade Reading, C2C: 8th Grade Math, C2C: Post-Secondary, C2C: Workforce Participation, Higher-Education

1. 2022 Strategic Plan and extracted sections. 2. RPS Strategic Plan Building Blocks 


Project Report of RPS American Indian Education : October 06, 2022 : American Indian Education at RPS
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Food
Impact Lvl2:

 October 10, 2022 Indigenous Peoples' Day


Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : August 09, 2022 : Plans to Strengthen Belonging and Behavior During the 2022-2023 School Year
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Commitment, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Governance/Public Policy
Impact Lvl2:


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 20, 2022 : Outcome and Discipline Data 2021-2022
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

RPS 2021-2022 Monitoring Reports


Organization Report: March 29, 2022 : Rochester Public Schools Board Self-Evaluation
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

2022 RPS School Board Self Evaluation Framework; Video Recording


Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : March 28, 2022 : RPS School Board Meeting - 3/22/22
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

Strategic Action Plan - Focus Group and Survey Results


Project Report of Family and Community Engagement (RPS) : January 12, 2022 : Family and Community Engagement (RPS) Report
Impact Lvl1: Caring Relationship, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

January Family Engagement Video Recordings


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 21, 2020 : Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) 2019 -2020
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

2019 and 2020 RPS Data: July 14, 2020 School Board Meeting, 2019-2020 First Semester, Achievement and Integration Plan Updates 2020

 


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : September 23, 2019 : Analysis of RPS referal data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

Phil Wheeler analysis of RPS referral data.


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 17, 2019 : Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights)
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

2018-2019 Report presented to RPS school board and comparison with 2018 reporting. 


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : August 24, 2017 : August 2017 Update of June 27 RPS Board Study of 2016-2017 discipline data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

August updating the 2017-06-27 RPS Board Study of discipline data with school breakdown. 


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : March 09, 2016 : Consultant interim identification on barriers
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

Great Lakes Equity Center has identified 6 barriers for equity progress.


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : January 05, 2016 : An openBEAM 5+1 proposal to address school disciplinary dispairty
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Governance/Public Policy
Impact Lvl2:

 The Rochester Public School District is taking the first steps to address a disproportionate disciplinary rate for black and Hispanic students. A community engagement session to get input and solicit involvement from community members will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 at Riverside Elementary School. I believe that conversation is necessary but not sufficient. We need to follow up with actions. Here is a 5+1 action plan.

 


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  2. Develop - program or application is being developed
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About Beam

Community Beam (dmcbeam.org) is a registry of private and public resources (organizations, projects, initiatives, programs) that underpin economic and social developments of greater Rochester:

  • For the commercial sector, we tend to register startup activities (new companies and new commercial projects) that bring diversification and high-impact opportunities to the area.
  • For the non-profit sector, we wish to shine light on all the organizations and services that otherwise labor under relative obscurity.
  • Our hope is that dmcbeam.org will encourage cross-sector collaborations and creative solutions.

While there are a number of registries in the community, dmcbeam.org's  distinct value is to pilot a database with a data structure and categorizations that answer the questions such as: What organizations or projects/programs in our community that have purported relevance with some of the over-arching focuses put forward by initiatives such as DMC, J2G and Health Improvements?

This database could be used as one of the ways to explore the capacities of the community. If you are someone on an exploratory journey to learn about the greater Rochester community. dmcbeam.org could be an interesting first step.

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