Dear Reading Public Schools Staff and Families,

This past week, our country has experienced another sequence of tragic events, which began one week ago today with the death of George Floyd by police officers from the Minneapolis police department, and continued with several days of riots in American cities, including Boston.  In response to these actions, this past weekend, Reading Police Chief Dave Clark, the Reading Police Department, and Town Manager Robert LeLacheur posted a press release condemning the actions of the Minneapolis police officers.  On behalf of the administrators and staff of the Reading Public Schools, we fully support the message that Chief Clark, his department, and Town Manager LeLacheur communicated to the community.  In addition, our hearts go out in full support for all of the families who have been impacted by this senseless act of violence and the riots, including our Boston and Reading families of color.  We are with you in spirit and solidarity, even during these times of social distancing.

What this event and the last several weeks of social isolation has taught us is that we have a long way to go when it comes to equity and race relations.  As educators, we realize that everyone is dealing with a series of emotions, perspectives, and feelings right now ranging from COVID-19 to politics to race relations to the tragic death of George Floyd.  This has generated a significant amount of anger in our country.  This is a time for all of us to take a step back, support each other, and treat each other with respect.  We also need to take a look at ourselves and ask how we can support those impacted the most, how we can educate our community and our families, and how we can strengthen our culture to be able to address these events.

The links below provide some resources that families could use during this difficult time.  These include two articles from the National Association of School Psychologists on Understanding Race and Privilege and Supporting Vulnerable Students in Stressful Times: Tips for Parents.  In addition, here is a link to 18 Powerful Children’s Books About Race and Racism.  We hope that these resources can provide support as you help explain to your children what is currently going on in our world.

The American Novelist James Baldwin once said that “not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”  Over the last few years our community has traveled a road where the various acts of hate and graffiti that have impacted different groups in our community.  It is time for us to stand up and support others in this time of need.

Thank you.

John Doherty

Superintendent of Schools