Hastings High School

Lack of diversity among faculty and students means history is not taught effectively, contextually or meaningfully. White teachers are teaching white students. When a high school has 510 students in four grades, yet only 14 of them identify as black, class discussions are between two groups white and other whites with a couple of Hispanics/Latinx/Asians tossed in. Race relations are merely theoretical in all subjects at HOH, but most notably in English and history. Theory but not based in reality or any personal experiences. Discussions are reinforcement of the white, male narrative and point of view, making for a superficial, empty, dangerously simplistic world view. A white, male, patriarchal world view. The books chosen to read are those that white males have deemed important. A black, female superintendent does not, has not, had a trickle-down effect. As I write this, there are no black, male or female, science, math, foreign language, art, drama, music, English nor history teachers k-12. There are no black male or female coaches. This truth despite the fact that HOH is less than 20 miles from Grand Central. An HOH high school education offers an incomplete world view and does not prepare young minds for the colorful, joyful real world. Blacks and other minorities that do attend the school (not teach there are no black teachers k-12) are rarely, if ever, in charge or in positions of authority. Hispanic and Asian voices are quiet, but black and Native American voices, silenced. It's very disappointing that once they (loud parents and backed by staff) kicked BOCES out, the black population decreased by almost half and has remained at 14 students to about 510, for years. Lots of white liberal parents and conservative, overtly racist parents who are fine with the school remaining just as it is: overwhelmingly white at 74-75.