We say often, proudly and with clear and conspicuous intent that our diversity is our greatest strength.
In the City School District of Albany, we hold these truths to be self-evident, to borrow some of the first official words proclaimed by this country.
Yet, nearly 250 years later, we know that this fundamental promise has been – and still is – too often broken. We see this sad and shameful reality repeated weekly and sometimes daily almost no matter where we look – in traditional media, on social media and, unfortunately, in casual conversations and basic human interactions.
Our children see and hear this, too.
Last month, we reiterated our school district’s unwavering commitment to supporting every student during these challenging times, and to protecting the rights and dignity of everyone in our school community.
We shared that reminder in the context of immigration-related activity reported in our city at the start of the new year, activity that continues to be reported as we navigate these troubling times.
Today – in the heart of Black History Month and on the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth – I would like to reaffirm that everyone means everyone.
Our school district and our city are incredibly rich in our diversity. We uplift and celebrate wonderful cultural traditions across a magnificent diaspora of racial, ethnic, religious, gender and national backgrounds – some cultivated around the corner, and others around the world.
We also recognize the struggles that many of our students and families face as a result of intolerant attitudes and perceptions that sometimes result from these differences – attitudes and perceptions born from our country’s complex and often heartbreaking history, yet also perpetuated around us daily.
We recognize that the fundamental promise of America remains unfulfilled for far too many.
I want to reassure you, in no uncertain terms, that our school district will not tolerate racist or intolerant behavior of any kind. We will act swiftly and appropriately to address it whenever and wherever it is reported to us.
Sometimes the solution will include disciplinary steps; more often it will include education.
Our teachers, principals, administrators and support staff have an obligation to help students learn to be good citizens and lead productive lives. We strive every day to do this by helping them understand right from wrong, by fostering a desire to do what is good, by encouraging them to take responsibility for and learn from their words and actions, and by modeling positive behaviors we want to cultivate in our young people.
Our Student Code of Conduct describes these values, and our practices and procedures related to them, in detail.
We are committed to these principles in support of every one of our nearly 9,300 students, and we ask for your continued support at home in reaffirming these principles.
As your superintendent, I also want to emphasize my own responsibility, and that of every leader in our organization, to assure that all of our nearly 2,000 employees deliver on this promise to our students, families and community.
Our school district will honor the background of every student, every family and every employee. We will strive each day to treat one another with respect, and we will strive to do better when anyone in our school community falls short of that.
No matter how national events play out around us, we will provide safe, supportive schools where everyone is protected and free to grow to their fullest potential, and to become whoever and whatever they dream to be.
And we will always uphold our diversity as our greatest strength.
Sincerely,
Joseph Hochreiter
Superintendent