Black women have played an instrumental role in keeping our Black boys protected.
However, we all play a role in keeping them safe in and out of school.
Such dangers as gang violence and child abduction are still concerns for parents.
That’s why safe routes to school is a top priority for any parent; especially parents of Black boys.
As more cities are creating live, play- and work-communities, it’s imperative for school districts to ensure that Black boys have safe routes to school.
We must keep our Black boys out of harm’s way!
Black parents face many challenges when it comes to allowing their child to bike or walk to school.
For some communities, the challenges consist of gangs, dogs, vacant houses, drug and sex trafficking.
These and other barriers put our Black boys in harm’s way.
Keeping children safe should be a top priority for every school.
Especially when Black boys are profiled in a lot of this plans.
Engagement includes ways for all stakeholder, faculty and staff members, to help with protecting students during the school day and after school activities.
In order to do this, schools must make community and family engagement a priority by ensuring that security plans.
- Ensure that all households/residencies with dogs and pets are properly housed i.e. having collars on all outdoor animals, fences with locks, appropriate heights and security, as well as having leashes while walking your pets.
- Report all vacant, blighted or unsafe housing units (homes, apartments, complexes, duplexes, etc.) to City of Atlanta Code Enforcement and/or you can email our Land Use & Zoning Committee.
- Removing large trash items blocking the sidewalks and streets i.e. tires, abandoned or non-functioning cars, large furniture, etc.
Plans also need to include effective ways of informing parents of Black boys and the community about safety incidents and concerns for improvement.
Schools are the light, hope and security blanket for our communities.
Putting our Black boys first requires involvement of all stakeholders in and outside of the school walls.
Jason has worked in education for over 15 years as a teacher, blogger and community advocate. He speaks and writes primarily about the need to improve education for Black boys, particularly increasing the number of Black male educators in schools. In addition to blogging here at EdLanta, Jason is also a featured writer at Education Post.