News-Record.com

What could have been a soon forgotten, business-as-usual committee report has turned out to be a catalyst for change in Guilford County Schools among some of Greensboro’s concerned residents.

The Board of Education last week heard special reports about the historical and social factors contributing to black male students’ underachievement in the school system. More than 100 people showed up at meetings that week to hear the report or express their frustrations to district officials.

“There are lots of groups and people getting keyed up about this,” said Marnie Thompson , a community organizer who helped write the reports. “This is arising from the circumstances right now.”

Thompson and 19 other residents met Wednesday to discuss how to use the reports as a springboard both to break the stranglehold of high-stakes testing on the district and to push for better treatment of black students. Black males are more likely to drop out of school, be suspended or be identified as having a learning disability than white males.

Thompson said she hoped a broad-based community movement could gain momentum before the school board hires a new superintendent.

“There’s this wonderful moment when we’re leaderless,” Thompson said. “No one’s feeling defensive right now.”

Participants at Wednesday’s meeting — including parents, Guilford College students, members of Undoing Racism caucuses and UNCG teaching students — gathered in a circle at The HIVE community center in the Glenwood neighborhood to talk about the next steps.

Isabell Moore of Greensboro said she would like to see immediate community services for families parallel the push for institutional change.

“From where I sit, I feel like we have to do something in the meantime,” said Barbara Lawrence, an assistant professor of justice and policy studies at Guilford College. “We have to go into the schools. We have to do something.”

Most of the participants agreed to “flood” future school board meetings to keep the issue at the top of the agenda.

School board member Deena Hayes said the committee that researched the reports on black male students plans to meet in July and follow up with recommendations to the board in September.

Hayes repeated her desire that the board take its time and not rush strategies.

“We think it’s really urgent, but we think it’s so urgent that it requires our authentic time and attention,” she said.

Contact Morgan Josey Glover at 373-7078 or morgan.josey@news-record.com