“We are in need of equity as it pertains to people of color,” Lybarger said. “In some cases, entire curriculums might need to be revisited and modified to be more multicultural and reflective of the students we serve. In other cases, small minor adjustments, such as companion texts or multi-modal opportunities will create equity and broaden our students’ comfort zones when it comes to issues of race.”

Megan Flanigan, a social studies teacher, said that means using materials that are primary sources, written by the people rather than about them by someone else: books and articles in the voices of those who are underrepresented.

Decatur schools’ racial makeup is 54% African-American, 35.8% white, and the remainder a mix of other races and students who are two or more races.

“Ultimately, it is our recommendation that our (professional learning community) work ongoing in this district should be to evaluate our curriculum,” Lybarger said.

With the understanding that the COVID-19 pandemic could force changes to those plans, the goal is to have content-specific rubrics prepared by January, with final revisions in May.