We stand against racism and demand action

In light of yet another explicit show of racism, New Prague, Minnesota now finds itself in the spotlight. The community has a choice to make in addressing the ways in which it supports and upholds institutional racism, and it can start with the school board. This petition demands consequences for the racist behavior aimed at the Robbinsdale Cooper girls basketball team. During a time when blatant discrimination and prejudice is rampant, the best way forward is an ongoing and real committment to equity, inclusion and belonging. According to the New Prague Area Schools’ mission, the rules that guide the culture are: doing what’s right, committing to excellence and showing people you care, all of which are valuable tenets to reinforce in this instance.

We urge action to be taken on the following steps:

• The superintendent, high school principal and New Prague girls basketball head coach issue a joint public apology to the Robbinsdale girls basketball coaches and players
• The superintendent and high school principal provide biweekly updates to the community as the investigation progresses to ensure transparency as well as clearly communicate which outside firm will be handling the investigation
• The high school principal introduces/reintroduces the human rights officer twice per academic year to all students, teachers and staff so the person is highly visible as a resource  
• The superintendent and high school principal reiterate the student code of conduct and information outlined in the Student Discipline Policy, which states: “All students are entitled to learn and develop in a setting which promotes respect of self, others and property. Proper positive discipline can only result from an environment which provides options and stresses student self-direction, decision-making and responsibility. Schools can function effectively only with internal discipline based on mutual understanding of rights and responsibilities.” This could occur in the student newspaper, during regular announcements, and any other channels.
• The school board revises the Harassment and Violence Policy to include all school-sanctioned events and any spectators and/or participants at said events as well as update language to identify consequences for community members who violate the policy (ex. removal from venue, exclusion from future events)
• The school board creates additional ways to report complaints outside of verbal and paper form options (ex. dedicated hotline, secure email address)

We continue to witness increasing rates of suicide in youth, violence in schools, and somehow are still asking ourselves how this is happening. If New Prague does not address the systemic, toxic, and perpetual racism then everyone will continue to suffer. If New Prague believes in creating a better world for future generations, then equity should be a top priority.

Please sign this petition if you feel the same, and help us encourage district leadership to take care of our youth. Thank you!