Kenner-Bell said her group and the students know the school is not unique. Yet she said she thinks it is time the school confront these issues.
“Since we are all facing this problem, what are we doing about it? That is the question that black families at Lab have for our administration,” she said. “And I think that is probably what the kids are asking, ‘what are you doing about these specific things.’”
The school did not immediately make anyone available to speak with WBEZ about the letter, written by the Black Students’ Association. But it provided a December 17 letter, written by the school’s director, Charles Abelmann, and addressed to “Lab families, faculty and staff,” in which he says the school believes the “reaction must be responsive, caring, and thoughtful.”
He also said the school had heard from the Black Family Forum and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion subcommittee of the Parents’ Association. He wrote the school was ready to work with them to incorporate their suggestions and that he agrees with them that
“‘our job is to help young people learn and do better,’ while building students’ racial literacy and their ability to address social tensions in productive ways.”
Also, parents say the school has alerted them of the development of a “diversity action plan,” which will be voted on by the school board soon.