Boardhawk:
The Denver school board spent 45 minutes Monday getting an update on its Black Excellence Resolution and worthy efforts being made at district and school levels to address systemic racism and implicit bias.
This is important work as the district and board work to pivot away from old systems and structures and attempt to figure out how better to serve all Denver Public Schools students — something it has historically failed to do.
How ironic, then, that this same board is turning its back on a shining example of Black excellence by preparing to deny DSST Noel Middle School students the high school they’ve been promised because several board members dislike the charter school governance model.
There are few examples of Black excellence in action more compelling than various DSST middle and high schools, but most especially the Far Northeast Denver Noel middle school.
The student body is about one-quarter Black and two-thirds Latino. Just 19 of the 309 students — 6 percent — are white. Eighty percent qualify for subsidized lunches.
