As a Black woman and a mother of two young children in Georgia, I spend a considerable amount of time thinking about the messaging my children receive, what they learn, how they learn it, and from whom they learn it. I want them to love learning, to be challenged to reach their greatest potential, and to look in the mirror and love what they see. My children aren’t even old enough for kindergarten, and I’m already learning that my Blackness in the context of metro Atlanta public schools may mean having to sacrifice one for the others.
The story of Jennifer Susko, a white counselor in my city and by many accounts one of the good ones, doesn't exactly inspire a sense of renewed faith.
She resigned from Mableton Elementary School in Cobb County after working there for six years, citing in her resignation letter obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) the “district’s longstanding mistreatment of Black families who have been ignored while demanding solutions to the ongoing racism in your school system for many years.”
If you're unfamiliar with Cobb County, it's the third-most populous county in Georgia, following behind Fulton and Gwinnett. Families tend to flock to Cobb, and Gwinnett for that matter, in the hopes of getting their youngsters into the schools there, more than a dozen of which were rated last year among the best in the country by U.S. News and World Report. The high ratings, however, mean very little to me as a Black parent who has been following stories of racism in Cobb County for years now, even before George Floyd’s death pushed the topic to the forefront of media coverage.
The straw that seems to have broken the camel’s back for Susko was the Cobb County school board’s vote on June 10 to ban teaching critical race theory and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones' "1619 Project." Critical race theory is a framework for interpreting law that maintains racism has an undeniable effect on the legal foundation of American society, and the 1619 Project asserts that “no aspect of the country” has been “untouched” by “years of slavery.”
“It’s revisionist history and history should be thorough,” Cobb County Board Chairman Randy Scamihorn reportedly said of the theory. He deemed it Marxist and divisive but also failed to define the theory in his resolution.
Still, it passed during a board work session by a vote of four Republicans in support of the resolution. The three Democrats on the board abstained, the AJC reported. Susko said she fears she would break the rules if she continues at Mableton Elementary. “That’s how I would have spent my year — either defending myself or compromising my entire approach and obligations as a school counselor by not addressing my kids needs, and I couldn’t do either one of those things,” she said.
Susko has been an advocate for thoughtful instruction and support that meets the needs of all of her students, not only the white ones. View board discussion regarding critical race theory at 2:20:12:
She wrote in her letter of resignation addressed to Superintendent Chris Ragsdale:
Dear Mr. Ragsdale, et. al:
It is with deep sadness that I resign from the Cobb County School
District in an act of protest against the recent ban on antiracism and
DEIJ as well as the district’s longstanding mistreatment of Black
families who have been ignored while demanding solutions to the
ongoing racism in your school system for many years. As we know,
Black children and parents stood often at the microphone during school
board meetings sharing their lived experiences of race-based trauma in
schools while you fidgeted with your cell phone, Mr. Banks rolled his
eyes, and Mr. Scamihorn denied that their experiences even occur. These
are but a few among a host of other forms of dismissiveness.
Despite this ever-present anti-Blackness, we did make incremental
progress. Caring, informed, diverse groups of educators and community
members have achieved measurable, albeit insufficient, systemic change
over the last several years. Our consistent advocacy for marginalized
students in South Cobb has resulted in some excellent culturally relevant
programs and department initiatives. I will not name those departments
and programs publicly. Based on history, those advocating only for
white students will certainly launch an attack to eliminate such
curriculum, pedagogy and resources that benefit all students. I will not
name the associated teachers. Based on history, those advocating only
for white students will attempt to strip them of freedom to implement
best practices and will tie them erroneously to Critical Race Theory
(CRT). Nonetheless, you know the departments and programs of which I
speak.
When the bombardment of contempt from the misled and uninformed
occurs toward those particular efforts this year, I hope you will stand
strong for students and faculty. Presently, the reactionary and cowardly
approach of deploying your executive cabinet to schools to dismantle
any effort causing white people discomfort underscores the weight of
pressure from a minority group of uninformed people who erroneously
believe they get to speak on behalf of all Cobb families. The
quintessential call for leadership is the willingness to withstand pressure
and still be bold enough to do what is in the best interest of every single
student.
Though I am heartbroken to leave my students who I love dearly and my
colleagues, I know I cannot do my job as a school counselor ethically
under the current style of leadership which thwarts research and
expertise on racism and its effects on mental health. To ensure that I do
not cause harm to Black students in my work as a white counselor, it is
vital that I study scholarly literature and theory to understand the history
of racism and its specific impact on individuals and families over
generations. No white mental health professional should be working
with BIPOC students without understanding race-based trauma. Failing
to navigate this cross-cultural counseling relationship adeptly can cause
minoritized students harm. Since the ban on CRT conflates many
approaches and practices related to antiracism, Cobb County School
District is asking me to violate my school counseling ethics by
prohibiting that I prepare myself to be a culturally sustaining school
counselor. My students come to me with race-based trauma and
questions about their identity and experiences. The district is asking me
to obfuscate history, ignore my commitment to educational justice and
deny these students voice or validation. Paying homage to Nikole
Hannah-Jones, I refuse.
I have received only excellent evaluations while at CCSD. I have
received national awards and recognition for my work. As a result,
you’ve been unable to penalize me professionally to date. Now, with the
introduction of the unclear and undefined “ban,” I can be reprimanded
for examining and addressing issues that directly harm my students. It
has been made very clear that I will be watched closely and disciplined
for adhering to my ethical obligations and for implementing an anti-
racist framework. Such intimidation and threats against my vocation and
livelihood are toxic. I cannot spend the entire school year justifying my
integrity and performance at the expense of serving my students.
My approach has never been about making a Black child feel like a
victim or telling a white student that they are inherently racist. Yet, the
district and school leadership persist in inventing their own inaccurate
definitions of CRT and ascribing them to me. It boggles the mind to
consider how Mr. Scamihorn wrote an entire resolution to prohibit CRT
and presented it unprepared to define that which he is so adamantly
against. When Mr. Hutchins asked the chairman to define what would be
banned for clarity purposes, Mr. Scamihorn replied, “Well, having never
been asked that question before, I can’t.” As a once proud 7th grade
student told you all at the July board meeting, CCSD leadership has
become shameful.
Since the bewildering ban, I’ve experienced bullying, harassment and
defamation of character. My personal information has been posted
online. While my community and colleagues have surrounded me with
support, they have also recommended installing a security system at my
home. Fear and political allegiance have created this dangerous
environment. It threatens my safety and my ability to provide my
students with what they are due.
Though I can no longer remain in my job under present leadership
without either compromising my values to use a harmful and dishonest
approach or being fired swiftly for doing what’s right, I will not abandon
students and families. I will persist in my attempts to dismantle systemic
racism in CCSD. Committed to antiracism and propelled by the work of
Black feminists, Civil Rights leaders and organizers of the past and
present, I am obligated to take risks and sacrifice things I love
sometimes. In this case, it’s my job. But many wonderful people in our
community have demonstrated their support of me remaining in this
district. They’ve also comforted me through this incredibly painful
decision.
Therefore, as a post 6 resident (and taxpayer!) who is no longer
constrained by the suppression and censorship inflicted on employees, I
will speak out even more candidly against racism in schools, campaign
to flip folks out of school board seats who do not deserve to be there,
and organize with Black and brown families as long as they ask me to in
their efforts to be heard.
In the meantime, I will share with you the updated position statement
from the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) on The
School Counselor and Anti-Racist Practices. My “agenda” is not
arbitrary or something I created on my own; it is required by the very
organization that you celebrate and recognize at your own meetings.
I’ll see you again soon.
Jennifer Susko
When the AJC asked district officials about Susko’s resignation, this was their response: “As is the case with all contracted employees, human resources is completing the formal process and she is expected to continue her job responsibilities until a highly qualified replacement can be hired. Cobb teachers are back in classrooms this week and we are focused on teaching and learning as students return on Aug. 2.”
Those coveted Cobb schools certainly won’t have the opportunity to focus on teaching my children anytime soon, and I know my public school options are limited. I know no school is perfect, but I also know what it feels like to be underestimated because of the color of your skin. That is not a feeling I want shaping my children’s first years in school.
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