Southlake’s Carroll ISD is moving forward with a Cultural Competence Action Plan after a viral video showed students repeating a racial slur.
When a viral video surfaced showing Carroll ISD students repeatedly saying a racial slur, community members spoke out at a recent meeting of the district's board of trustees. Monday night, the board announced action items that have already happened or are in the works.
"As a community, as a school, as a nation, we've got to do better," said assistant superintendent Julie Thannum. "This didn't happen overnight. It doesn't get fixed overnight."
The Cultural Competency Action Plan includes holding the students in the viral video accountable, strengthening student expectations and written codes of conduct, meeting with student leaders, teacher diversity training and the formation of a diversity council.
"I think it's important for people to be kind," Thannum said. "I think it's important for us to build skills in kids that they can step forward and be empowered to do the right thing."
"I couldn't make it better for my kids, but I want to make it better for kids who are coming up in the system," said Robin Cornish, whose children graduated from Carroll ISD. "Let's be the role model. Let's be the example here."
Cornish said diversity curriculum should be mandatory.
"These kids are our futures, and if we want them to shift and help change and mold this place we call our world into a better place, we as the adults have to step up and say, 'These are the things we have to do,'" Cornish said.
The district said with the school year nearly half over, some of the action items won't be implemented until next school year.
On Nov. 14 from 7-9:30 p.m., the mayor of Southlake is holding a Coffee and Conversation Roundtable meeting to discuss racial issues in the community.
