“Whereas the Joliet Public Schools District 86 refuses to remain silent about racism and injustice, and encourages our students, staff and families to speak openly about institutional racism and current events, and to teach about civic actions that effectively change policy and laws in our country in brave and safe environments,” the resolution read in part.

Also in the resolution, the board described the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, in which a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, as “a metaphor for the unjust societal and systemic inequities that Black people experience, where cries for help have been largely ignored.”

The board also said in the resolution it “recognizes the right of public to protest, and that a collective voice is integral and powerful to combat racism.”

The District 86 board said it aimed to take “concrete steps to achieve equal opportunity and success for students of color, and recognizes its responsibility to uphold the humanity of black lives.”

District 86 has a student population of over 10,000. About 22% of District 86 students are African American and 62% are Latino.