Portland Public Schools

Dear Colleagues,

The verdict handed down yesterday in Minneapolis brings a number of emotions that we and our students will need to process for some time. While I feel some sense of relief for the display of accountability for this case, I still yearn for true justice, when our systems and communities reflect our values that Black Lives Matter. We will witness true justice when brutality like that which was carried out against George Floyd is no longer a part of life in this country.

This week is another reminder of the active role our students, and young people across the country, play in leading the long-overdue national reckoning on racial justice. Despite their role as leaders, our students still rely on us for comfort, safety and support. As educators, we are called to prioritize their needs and learning today and always. For our teachers, administrators, partners and anyone else who works with students, I would like to remind you to leverage our Civic Engagement and Unrest toolkit, which was updated this week to include additional supports related to this verdict.

Supporting our students includes supporting one another. We are collectively experiencing so many challenges this year and we are only as strong as our connection and support for each other. To our Black colleagues, please know that you are seen and appreciated.

I hope that one day we will look back at yesterday’s verdict as another turning point in our nation’s progress toward justice. Our PPS graduate portrait envisions us to support our students to become compassionate critical thinkers, who are able to collaborate and solve problems and lead a more socially just world.

We still have work to do. I ask that we all continue to stand shoulder to shoulder and remain committed to dismantling anti-Black racism and oppression in our own school system, that we collectively continue to fight for racial justice, and that together we work everyday to create the conditions so that every student, particularly our students of color, thrive. 

With much appreciation for the work you do every day toward this goal.

Sincerely,

Guadalupe Guerrero
Superintendent