A Sacramento teacher asked for change after racial incidents. Here’s how the district responded
Sacramento City Unified School District introduced a new district “monitor-liaison” last week to assist in investigations regarding recent racial incidents at two campuses.
Attorney Mark T. Harris is charged with helping district address an incident at West Campus High School in which a vice principal was subjected to racially derogatory statements online, and a separate incident at Kit Carson International Academy in which a teacher used the n-word twice in a discussion with students.
Harris’ deep ties to the community allow him to focus on instances of racism and improve on equity, social justice and civil rights efforts to better serve all students and prevent racist incidents in the future, Superintendent Jorge Aguilar said.
Harris’ appointment follows a Jan. 5 email the district received from Sacramento City Unified teacher Erin Leone, who demanded “demonstrable changes” to address and disrupt “the racist culture within the district.” She questioned the “mishandling” of racial incidents within the district.
Leone also expressed concerns about a separate incident a year ago at Luther Burbank High School in which a student and teacher had an exchange over the N-word. A subsequent faculty discussion reportedly became hostile.
She told The Bee in an interview earlier this month that she reached out to the district at the time of the incident, but was ignored. She described the experience as “extremely traumatic” discussion among faculty.
“There’s a pervasive culture of racism in our district,” said Leone. “It’s an open secret where everyone is aware of it. It’s never been really addressed beyond the statements that our superintendent puts out every time something gets publicized.”
A background in civil rights
Aguilar says that incident along with others caused him to bring in Harris, whom he referred to as a “prime candidate” to partner with to ensure that every aspect of these investigations is rigorously conducted.
“We decided to take this proactive step of engaging a longtime Sacramentan with extensive expertise in social justice and civil rights to help us address these instances of racism and ensure that we improve on everything that we do around equity, social justice and civil rights to better serve our students,” Aguilar said.
Harris is the Central Valley Managing Attorney for the national law firm, Ben Crump Law. He’s a founder of Central Valley Leaders, a statewide youth leadership development academy. He’s also the director of Pre-Law Studies at the University of California, Merced.
Harris has helped in solving education issues, racial issues, and inequitable practices within Sacramento City Unified since he first arrived in Sacramento in 1974. He says that the same issues that existed then, they are dealing with now.
“I’m committed both ethically and professionally to the truth,” said Harris in a Wednesday interview with The Bee. “I hope to be able to explain it in a way people will understand even if they don’t agree with it.”
Potential discipline for students
The district remains committed to building stronger relational trust among its Black population, Aguilar says.
Aguilar said initiating outside investigations and partnering with Harris is just one step toward that goal. Aguilar said he looks to build stronger relational trust with his Black students and meet their academic, mental, social, and emotional needs.
“The fact that we are still a district that suffers from systemic racism is on us. It’s a responsibility that I take very seriously. I also acknowledge that we have a lot of work to do,” said Aguilar.
Harris is said to have free rein in his role as a monitor-liaison from the superintendent and the board of trustees. He says his advice to the superintendent and the board will be “by any means necessary”.
He suggested the district push the limits and take appropriate, necessary and effective disciplinary actions in correspondence with the law and the state of California Education Code.
“We’re not accusing you or your kids of anything, but if your kid is found to have committed these atrocities, we’ll do everything we can to make sure that kid gets to wear that jacket,” said Harris. “So your plans for that kid to go to Brown or Harvard or Stanford or Cal? Maybe you need to think twice because that kid’s going to have to deal with the fact that they participated in domestic terrorism as far as I’m concerned some of the things that these young people are accused of, but that’s the end result.”
