The tragic deaths of George Floyd, and so many before him, have forever impacted our nation, our communities, and yes, our Francis Tuttle family. The pain, anger, and heartache felt by so many at this time is very real, it is raw, and we all have a responsibility to do better going forward. The events of the past two weeks have been a difficult reminder that we have a duty to cultivate a more-inclusive culture at Francis Tuttle - one where racial injustices are unacceptable, fairly identified, and met with appropriate redress. Francis Tuttle is committed to standing in solidarity, compassion, and empathy with members of our Francis Tuttle family who are feeling frustrated and hurt by recent events, and we pledge to support you, listen to you, and walk beside you moving forward.
At Francis Tuttle, we strive to embody our core values of Service, Trust, Aspiration, Responsibility, and Respect. This includes not only respecting and recognizing the differences in other people, but also acknowledging that every individual is viewed as a person of worth, dignity, and value. As the leader of the district, in cooperation with the district leadership team, it is our pledge to you moving forward that we will examine each of these core values as they relate to racial inequalities or injustices that may exist on our campuses, as we realize that these words must apply and reflect who we are as an institution as a whole. We welcome your viewpoints, stories, knowledge, and personal input as we work to examine how Francis Tuttle can improve how we conduct business, as well as how we treat every human being we employ or serve.
Over a year ago we established a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. The purpose of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Francis Tuttle is to increase our cultural awareness, educate, invite conversations around difficult subjects, identify and address diversity, equity and inclusion needs, and to work toward a future that is inclusive of all people - irrespective of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender/gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability. We must continue to strive to make Francis Tuttle a place for all of our faculty, staff, students, customers, and community members to feel safe, respected, and heard.
Michelle Keylon, Ed.D.
Superintendent/CEO