Morris Holmes' Letter to LRSD Board Members
By: Joey Hollingsworth
Updated: September 19, 2012
Members of the Board, my purpose for writing to you is to inform you that I have received some alarming information that came to me by way of a series of isolated statements purportedly indicating mistreatment of Latino students in the Little Rock School District. While these statements were comprised of only reports from "Focus Groups" conducted by UALR professor Dr. Terry Trevino-Richard, as Superintendent, I am very concerned whenever I receive a report of any student being treated unfairly. I, along with senior staff members, have been working the past several days to find the study from which the statements are reportedly derived. Our staff had little success in obtaining the actual study - despite an exhaustive search; we have received only isolated statements of conclusion. Because of that, I wanted to apprise you of related events to this point.
Upon receiving these isolated statements, I began efforts to chase down the source, namely, looking for documents, evidence, and plain common sense regarding their origin. I do not accept generalized, tacit statements without verifying their validity - that would naturally occur to me as a school teacher and a fairly well-schooled person.
Over the years, this superintendent has spent a considerable amount of time in the Fort Worth Independent School District with diverse groups of students: Caucasians, African-Americans and Latinos. As a result, my concern and appreciation for the needs of students across cultural lines were greatly enhanced, and I always thought I was a better educator for having those experiences. My goal has always been to remove any barriers that I could, in order for all children to have opportunities for an adequate education.
I have worked 15 years, prior to my last 1 1/2 years with the Little Rock School District, as a teacher at Horace Mann and as principal at Forest Heights and Central High. Those experiences strengthened my resolve for fairness and equity. As I have said on many occasions, I am committed to doing the hard work necessary to help all students in the District realize their full potential.
I intend to pursue the source of this information and work to ascertain the degree of truth in it. Be assured, the sun will not go down on this matter. I will be asking, as I have on several occasions, that Dr. Richard produce the document for detailed information, including data, the methodology and processes. We also reached out to UALR and spoke with Linda Stipsky in the library's reference department to get a copy of the actual study and to ascertain whether or not it was a sanctioned research project by the campus. We will be polling all principals, and we will hold principals' meetings in an effort to see what has been going on, according to Dr. Richard, for the past 7 years. We do not take this matter lightly and are putting together a leadership team to conduct a thorough review to help determine a clear course of action.
Lastly, I call upon Dr. Richard to provide me a copy of the study which we have requested several times. We even have asked Arkansas Times reporter David Koon for a copy of the study; he informed us by email that he was "expressly forbidden" from sharing any further data by Dr. Richard.
Dr. Richard is misleading the public stating that he has provided me with his study. Board Members do not have a copy of the study, principals do not have a copy of the study; no teacher has presented a copy of a study to me. Where is the study that Dr. Richard stated that he gave to me? I have notes from the meeting held on September 9, 2011 with Dr. Karen Broadnax, LRSD's ESL director, and she does not have a copy of the study. Dr. Richard, do you or do you not have a study?
If I did not think of Dr. Richard as an honorable man, I would say that he does not have a study. Being a professor, he knows the difference between a study and a collection of narrative statements. Give the public a copy of the study. Meantime, I will move with dispatch to address the interests of all students and Latino students in particular.
In conclusion, I need to tell you that the information that has been given to me recently represents everything that I stand against and insults every fiber within me. I intend to pursue this with intensity and with a high level of consideration. I intend to put a stop to any harassment and disrespect occurring to any students.
Upon receiving these isolated statements, I began efforts to chase down the source, namely, looking for documents, evidence, and plain common sense regarding their origin. I do not accept generalized, tacit statements without verifying their validity - that would naturally occur to me as a school teacher and a fairly well-schooled person.
Over the years, this superintendent has spent a considerable amount of time in the Fort Worth Independent School District with diverse groups of students: Caucasians, African-Americans and Latinos. As a result, my concern and appreciation for the needs of students across cultural lines were greatly enhanced, and I always thought I was a better educator for having those experiences. My goal has always been to remove any barriers that I could, in order for all children to have opportunities for an adequate education.
I have worked 15 years, prior to my last 1 1/2 years with the Little Rock School District, as a teacher at Horace Mann and as principal at Forest Heights and Central High. Those experiences strengthened my resolve for fairness and equity. As I have said on many occasions, I am committed to doing the hard work necessary to help all students in the District realize their full potential.
I intend to pursue the source of this information and work to ascertain the degree of truth in it. Be assured, the sun will not go down on this matter. I will be asking, as I have on several occasions, that Dr. Richard produce the document for detailed information, including data, the methodology and processes. We also reached out to UALR and spoke with Linda Stipsky in the library's reference department to get a copy of the actual study and to ascertain whether or not it was a sanctioned research project by the campus. We will be polling all principals, and we will hold principals' meetings in an effort to see what has been going on, according to Dr. Richard, for the past 7 years. We do not take this matter lightly and are putting together a leadership team to conduct a thorough review to help determine a clear course of action.
Lastly, I call upon Dr. Richard to provide me a copy of the study which we have requested several times. We even have asked Arkansas Times reporter David Koon for a copy of the study; he informed us by email that he was "expressly forbidden" from sharing any further data by Dr. Richard.
Dr. Richard is misleading the public stating that he has provided me with his study. Board Members do not have a copy of the study, principals do not have a copy of the study; no teacher has presented a copy of a study to me. Where is the study that Dr. Richard stated that he gave to me? I have notes from the meeting held on September 9, 2011 with Dr. Karen Broadnax, LRSD's ESL director, and she does not have a copy of the study. Dr. Richard, do you or do you not have a study?
If I did not think of Dr. Richard as an honorable man, I would say that he does not have a study. Being a professor, he knows the difference between a study and a collection of narrative statements. Give the public a copy of the study. Meantime, I will move with dispatch to address the interests of all students and Latino students in particular.
In conclusion, I need to tell you that the information that has been given to me recently represents everything that I stand against and insults every fiber within me. I intend to pursue this with intensity and with a high level of consideration. I intend to put a stop to any harassment and disrespect occurring to any students.
