Decatur, GA — The City Schools of Decatur School Board will meet on Tuesday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m. for a regular meeting. The meeting will be held via Zoom.

During the meeting, the school board will consider adopting a board policy outlining the divisive concepts complaint resolution policy.

According to Dr. Fehrman’s Friday Follow Up newsletter, the school board meeting this week will only be held over Zoom and not in person.

Here are the meeting access instructions:

The board will continue the practice of streaming meetings via Zoom and available at the following link.

Join the Board Meeting: https://csdecatur.zoom.us/j/95614159391

To view the meeting agenda, click here.

House Bill 1084, called the Protect Students First Act, prevents the use of curricula or training programs that seek to promote or encourage certain divisive concepts. The bill passed the Georgia General Assembly in April and was signed by the governor on April 28. The bill went into effect on July 1.

The legislation defines divisive concepts as the following concepts:

– One race is inherently superior to another race;

– The United States of America is fundamentally racist;

–  An individual, by virtue of his or her race, is inherently or consciously racist or oppressive toward individuals of other races;

– An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race;

–  An individual’s moral character is inherently determined by his or her race;

– An individual, solely by virtue of his or her race, bears individual responsibility for actions committed in the past by other individuals of the same race;

– An individual, solely by virtue of his or her race, should feel anguish, guilt, or any other form of psychological distress;

– Any other form of race scapegoating or race stereotyping

CSD’s proposed policy states that the school board, the superintendent and each school must prohibit employees from discriminating against others based on race, and that curricula and training programs must encourage employees and students to practice tolerance and mutual respect.

The policy states that it doesn’t, “Prohibit the discussion of divisive concepts, as part of a larger course of instruction, in a professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal political beliefs,” or “Prohibit the use of curricula that addresses the topics of slavery, racial oppression, racial segregation, or racial discrimination, including topics relating to the enactment and enforcement of laws resulting in racial oppression, segregation, and discrimination in a professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal political beliefs…”

The policy also outlines a complaint process for parents, students and CSD employees. A written complaint would have to be submitted to the principal of the school where the alleged violation happened. After review by the principal, the complaint would go to the superintendent. The superintendent’s decision would be subject to review by the school board.

Also on the agenda, the school board will consider approval of an amendment to the fiscal year 2023 budget, and will discuss the academic calendar survey results and acceleration options for math courses.

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