There is an organized peaceful rally that has been set to happen at Apollo High School from 8:30-3:15 (Monday, March 29th). The intent, as expressed by people who have organized this event, is to share their perceptions of staff members in District 742. This particular group, that represents a very small number of Somalis, intends to illustrate that there's an injustice as to the way some staff members treat Somali students (they have assured me that this is not about the way some students treat other students).
Many Somalis have expressed that this is not the way to resolve what they perceive is happening in the district. I have heard from the Somali Elder's Board, members of the Somali Elder's Council, the Islamic Center, CAIR, several who attend the Mosque and our Equity Services Department Cultural Navigators. They are aware of this event and are not pleased that this is happening. Therefore, you must understand that this is not the result of most Somali people in this community.
We will continue to treat this as a regular school day. The organizer of this rally said, "We don't want to disrupt learning during this rally."
Our job is to make sure that this will be a routine day where safety is our number one concern. Please understand that this is completely legal whether or not you feel it's the right way to address an issue. Law enforcement is aware and will be present to keep this peaceful. We will continue to connect with parents and students of all groups to settle issues and concerns like this.
