WASHINGTON — The Prince George’s County Board of Education approved two new resolutions Tuesday, saying it supports immigrant, Muslim and transgender students.
The resolutions reaffirm the school system’s commitment to serving these groups of students in a safe and protective environment.
“In January, we were having conversations about how to be more inclusive,” Prince George’s County Board of Education member Raaheela Ahmed told WTOP. “A constituent had reached out to me about having a statement come out from the board on the matter.”
The board has spent the past couple months crafting a statement it felt delivered its intended message to show its commitment to inclusivity to certain minority groups.
“As a person who shares a deep commitment to equity and social justice, I enthusiastically support these resolutions and the message they send to our community,” said Board Chair Dr. Segun C. Eubanks. “Regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or country of origin, Prince George’s County Public Schools will provide a world-class education for you and protect you.”
“It shows that we really care about our students and that we want to commit to diverse and inclusive practices so that all of our students feel prepared to take on the world,” added Ahmed.
The resolutions reaffirm that the school system will continue to follow policies set forth in Title IX and state law protecting against discrimination against transgender students as well as policies that support all students in its schools, regardless of immigration status or religion.
“For me personally, I’m a young, Muslim, first-generation Pakistani-Indian-American female, and I can’t tell you how happy this really makes me,” Ahmed stated.
These resolutions, however, do not bring any changes to the hallways of the system’s schools.
“My understanding is it’s just an understanding and a stance of the board that is in line with current policy,” said Ahmed.
