RESOLUTION NO. 7863 – June 25th, 2020
BLACK LIVES MATTER
WHEREAS, the recent death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and subsequent protests
across the globe have focused the nation’s attention on the issue of police brutality and pulled
back the curtain on the many ways that systems and institutions have preserved and maintained
white supremacy, and a culture that diminishes, devalues, and destroys the lives of Black
Americans; and
WHEREAS, the names, faces, and stories that periodically pierce the awareness of the
American public, and expose the ugly truth about racism in American society, are painful
reminders of the countless unknown names, unseen faces, and untold stories that have borne the
burden of this history; and
WHEREAS, public education is an essential democratic institution necessary for
promoting the public welfare, developing human potential, and creating the conditions for a fair
and just civic society, and Indianapolis Public Schools (“IPS”) has been charged with educating
the future citizens and leaders of the City of Indianapolis since its incorporation in 1853; and
WHEREAS, Indianapolis Public Schools has often failed to fulfill its obligation to
educate and serve all students equally, to advocate on behalf of every student, to live up to our
highest ideals as a country and a school district, and to commit itself to dismantling the systems
of racial inequality and injustice that have prevented generations of Black students from
achieving their fullest potentials; and
WHEREAS, Indianapolis Public Schools has participated in maintaining a system of
racial inequality in the City of Indianapolis through its actions and inactions, policies and
practices, budgets and priorities, advocacy and silence, and by too often privileging the prejudice
of white parents over the well-being of Black students; and
WHEREAS, Indianapolis Public Schools established a racially segregated educational
system designed to reinforce an immoral racial hierarchy, by among other things, approving the
creation of a high school for Black students in 1922 – originally planned as Thomas Jefferson
High School, and subsequently renamed Crispus Attucks High School after the justified
objections of Indianapolis’ black community – and forcefully transferring Black students then
attending other IPS high schools; and
WHEREAS, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s declaration in the Brown v. Board of
Education decision in 1954 that “[s]eparate educational facilities are inherently unequal”,
Indianapolis Public Schools maintained and defended a racially segregated educational system
until the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in 1968, and a federal court ruled in 1971 that
IPS was “operating a segregated school system wherein segregation was imposed and enforced

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 by operation of law”, and ordered and supervised a busing program to facilitate the
desegregation of Indianapolis Public Schools that wasn’t fully phased out until 2016; and
WHEREAS, the difficult and painful work of confronting our collective failure starts
with acknowledging, and apologizing for, the ways in which Indianapolis Public Schools has
perpetuated a system of white supremacy, failed to confront systemic racism, and remained silent
in the presence of injustice; and
WHEREAS, the Board of School Commissioners is committed to leading in the effort to
address racism and its effects within our district and schools, through our budget, priorities,
policies, practices, and by creating and supporting a culture that daily affirms that Black lives
matter; and
WHEREAS, the Board of School Commissioners will continue and expand ongoing
efforts to identify and address racial disparities and disproportionalities in discipline and
academic outcomes, expand equitable access to educational and programmatic opportunities, and
examine policies and practices to ensure that their burdens and benefits do not reinforce existing
inequalities; and
WHEREAS, the Board of School Commissioners has approved recent efforts and
initiatives to support the work of achieving racial equity within Indianapolis Public Schools,
including:
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Partnering with the Racial Equity Institute to engage administrators, teachers, and
staff in educational training on the history of racism in the United States, the impact
of racism in education, and how to implement this knowledge into their efforts to
achieve racial equity in their schools and classrooms (2015, renewed 2018);
Restructuring the IPS Police department to reduce the number of officers in schools,
implementing a revised continuum of force policy to minimize the incidence of use of
force, and auditing all practices to identify and reduce racial disparities and prioritize
student safety (2015-);
Approving a Supplier Diversity Policy to increase business opportunities for
minority-, women-, and veteran-owned business enterprises (M/W/VBEs), as well as
locally owned and operated businesses, requiring all partners doing business with IPS
to adopt Equal Employment Opportunity Clauses in all contracts with the district, and
tracking and reporting progress on efforts to engage MWVBEs for eligible
expenditures on a quarterly basis (2015);
Establishing School Equity Teams, supported by a District Equity Team, in 29 pilot
schools to review disaggregated academic and discipline data, facilitate study and
discussion of racism, and to develop and track measurable goals towards racial equity
(2015-);
Prioritizing the recruitment and retention of Black teachers and school leaders
through deliberate policies & programs, national candidate recruitment, and by
identifying and supporting the development and licensure of Black classified
classroom support staff to assist them in teacher education and licensure (2015-);

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Creating a unified enrollment structure to promote transparency and equitable access
for families, and designing application deadlines to enhance equitable access to high
demand schools and programs (2016);
Designing and implementing a student-based budget allocation model to promote
equitable and transparent funding of schools with additional funds targeted to support
schools with greater demonstrated need (2016-);
Approving uniform and reduced proximity boundaries for all choice schools to
mitigate the impact of structural, racial housing segregation on access to high-demand
choice schools and programs, and to promote enrollment diversity (2017);
Supporting universal transportation throughout the district to reduce barriers to
students and families to the choice programs and schools of their choosing;
Adopting the “Males of Color Pledge” as part of the Council of Great City Schools’
(“CGCS”) Males of Color Initiative, developing the “Your Life Matters: Plan of
Action”, and partnering with the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office, Indiana Black Expo,
and the Indiana Civil Rights Commission to form the Your Life Matters Task Force
to develop initiatives and interventions to support the unique challenges facing young
men of color (2018);
Including “Racial Equity Mindset” as one of the six district priorities for the 2019-20
school year (2019);
Initiating a racial equity audit in collaboration with Project 54 to help identify gaps
and develop strategies for making progress towards racial equity in IPS (2020).

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of School Commissioners of the City of
Indianapolis that:
1) Black lives matter. Every student is capable of success, deserving of respect, and
valuable to our community. To believe that black lives matter – and to put that belief
into action – means to commit ourselves to a radical refusal to give up on any student,
to hand them over to a criminal justice system that doesn’t share our values, or return
them to communities that lack the resources to support the realization of their fullest
potential. The rise in zero tolerance discipline policies by school districts has
contributed to reinforcing existing racial inequalities and limiting the opportunities
for Black students to achieve success. Except where such action is required by law or in cases involving violence or the safety of other students and staff - Indianapolis
Public Schools will seek to eliminate all expulsions or arrest of any students.
2) All students - of every race - benefit from Black teachers and Black leaders. Research
demonstrates the positive impact of having teachers and school leaders with racial
and cultural backgrounds that reflect the students that they teach, who serve as
positive role models, and who hold their students to high expectations. Indianapolis
Public Schools will continue to intentionally recruit, support the professional
development of, and promote Black teachers and leaders.
3) Representation and recognition matters. Black students deserve to go to schools that
celebrate the history of Black leaders and that champion the humanity and dignity of
Black people. The district will establish a task force to review the names of all
schools, facilities, and venues to ensure that the individuals so honored reflect respect
for the dignity and equality of the students we serve. While we can’t demand an

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 unattainable perfection, and must acknowledge the historical context in which people
lived and learned, we also can’t expect progress without interrogating our
assumptions, examining our past, and reconciling our values.
4) Understanding the ugly truth of our past is necessary to building a beautiful vision of
our future. We can’t value Black lives without teaching Black history, recognizing the
contributions of Black leaders to our city, state, and country, and celebrating the
sacrifices and achievements that were necessary for moving us closer to the
fulfillment of America’s promises. Indianapolis Public Schools will recognize June
19th (“Juneteenth”) as a district holiday, recognizing the importance of the liberation
of enslaved people as an achievement of American democracy to be celebrated and
rightfully honored.
5) Board Policy 1619 – RACIAL EQUITY MINDSET, COMMITMENT, AND
ACTIONS is hereby adopted as presented in conjunction with this resolution.
The foregoing Resolution No. 7863 was passed by the Board of School Commissioners of the
City of Indianapolis this 25th day of June, 2020.
THE BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS
OF THE CITY OF INDIANAPOLIS

By: _________________________________
Michael O’Connor, President

By: _________________________________
Elizabeth Gore, Commissioner

By: _________________________________
Evan Hawkins, Vice President

By: _________________________________
Venita J. Moore, Commissioner

By: _________________________________
Susan Collins, Secretary

By: _________________________________
Taria Slack, Commissioner

By: _________________________________
Diane Arnold, Commissioner

Presented and recommended with full support by:
_____________________________________
Aleesia L. Johnson, IPS Superintendent

Res. No. 7863