Many school districts have added the position of Director of Community Relations to their staff in the past decade. It is no wonder: Schools are microcosms of what is going on in the world around us. All the problems we face daily surface in schools with our children.
The community relations position is an important one in regard to the problems we deal with in our schools ranging from drugs, social media, bullying, COVID, LGBTQ issues, mental health concerns, teen suicide, and people challenging the authority of teachers and administrators as never before.
One area school district has added these words to the title of Director of Community Relations: Equity Awareness. Dr. Brett Cooper came to Daniel Boone Area School District as superintendent in 2019 and brought with him from Boyertown Area schools the No Place for Hate mantra and ideals which the Boyertown district has had in place for years.
Daniel Boone went through the process and training needed for accreditation in No Place For Hate during the 2019-20 school year. During this period, Rob Flowers, the head football coach at Daniel Boone, was hired to fill the role of Director of Community Relations and Equity Awareness. Flowers already had strong relationships with many of the students, so his new role came easily to him. His background includes several positions in the Reading School District including head football coach and home and school visitor. He has worked as a behavior manager and crisis manager trainer at alternative schools, and director of an alternative education school. He believes in treating all people with a high level of respect.
Following Dr. Cooper’s vision, Flowers has tied the mission and equity issues together to create a positive district culture. He works through regular social media posts; daily communications to staff, students and parents; monthly newsletters, and attendance at staff meetings at all the schools.
He walks through the buildings on a regular basis to talk with staff and students, as does Dr. Cooper. Flowers holds diversity discussions in grades 7-12 which add to the bridge he is trying to build among ethnic, gender, and socio-economic groups. The district also holds Kindness Week and Kindness Day, which tie directly to diversity.
In October of 2020, Flowers started an Equity Round Table on Zoom which takes place once a month. Students, staff, parents, community members, everyone, is welcome to join the discussion on a specific topic each month. People discuss, can disagree, add their point of view, but there are ground rules so that no equity discussion can get out of control. There is also a Berks County Equity Committee which meets quarterly through the Berks County Intermediate Unit. There is one representative from each school district in Berks County, and the facilitators are Dr. Christina Foehl from the Berks IU and Flowers. Both of these venues are built to bridge understanding among divergent groups and thought processes which is sorely needed in our divided world.
Daniel Boone supports Unity Days each year at all the schools; this year’s fell on Thursday, March 17 at the high school. The day encompasses many themes that tie back to equity awareness. As an observer and participant in this day, I saw an entire gymnasium filled with students of many ethnicities, disabilities, gender differences, as well as educators working with these students in small groups. Thom Stecher and Associates was facilitating the important work accomplished on this particular day. “People are hard to hate close up,” Stecher observed.
Dr. Cooper shared with me that he had graduated from Daniel Boone and when he came back as superintendent many years later, he heard the same comments he heard 35 years ago when he was growing up in the district: “They’re the kids on the other side of the river. Why are you hanging around with them?”
He vowed to change the culture and thought process in the district to one of inclusivity and is making a valiant effort to do so with the help of Flowers and many staff members. Daniel Boone is not a wealthy school district and in fact has fewer resources than many of its neighboring schools. However, this district is doing a great job of making all students feel welcome, resilient, and supported.
This world needs no more divisions. Let’s wake up and realize that we are all more alike than we are different.
Dr. Myra Forrest is a former teacher and administrator. She served as superintendent of Owen J. Roberts School District and executive director of The Foundation for Pottstown Education. She is currently an Education Advocate for the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation.
