After misconduct allegations, Downey school district promises to ‘do better’

DOWNEY — Downey Unified School District has responded to claims of injustice, discrimination, and inappropriate behavior by staff and students with the formation of a Human Relations Council, while also saying “We will do better.”

In the midst of social unrest and protests last week, Downey found itself trending when several former DUSD students began tweeting out their experiences of racism and sexual misconduct within district schools.

The District addressed these claims with a statement, which said in part:

“We as the governing board of Downey Unified are determined to not fail our kids… As we begin to look within our district to start making these changes, we will be establishing a Human Relations Council that will be made up of representatives from within our district, including our high school students, to determine the steps that need to be taken to better provide a learning environment that is safer, more equitable and more inclusive.”

“Additionally, we are aware that some of our students have expressed that they have not felt heard or understood and have taken to social media to share experiences that have occurred in our schools. Situations where they felt victimized because of their race or occurrences where they feel we did not address situations in which they felt unsafe.

“While we strive to make Downey Unified a place of safety and stability, we have clearly heard that we have not met that standard for all of our students. Until we meet that standard, it is clear that we have work to do and we are committed to listening and doing what needs to be done to create an environment where each individual student can learn, feel secure and thrive. You have our commitment that we will work as a district to engage in the work to help create a space that is free of racism, discrimination and violence.”

The Human Relations Council is set to meet at the end of the week, according to remarks made by Superintendent Dr. John Garcia at the Board of Education’s meeting on Tuesday.