We have heard from some administrators, teachers, and parents who are worried about having students talk about the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, as well as other similar recent events. Some believe that they don’t have a good enough understanding of the facts. Others are nervous about managing the emotions that may come along with this conversation.
This document is designed with these concerns in mind. It provides background knowledge, a protocol for having the conversation, and links to many additional resources. This resource has been adapted from District of Columbia Public Schools and TeachableMoment.org, a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility.
Don’t avoid the conversation.
It is an important way to engage students in our core value of equity. Staff in
the MCPS
Equity Initiatives Unit and The MCPS
Study Circles Program are available to support you. Please click this
link to read more: A Guide for
Discussing Ferguson with Your Students.
Five Steps to Getting Parents to Your Meetings
This step-by-step guide is the result of a series of conversations with diverse parent leaders from various organizations. It offers some reflective questions, suggestions for your consideration, and examples of how one local elementary school PTA was able to get parents from all cultural backgrounds to their meetings.