MARIN CITY FREEDOM CENTER LEARNING PODS
"Every child—no matter their stripe or stature—deserves equal access to a quality education. That’s what we say, what we believe, and what’s required under the law…. Depriving a child of a fair chance to learn is wicked, it’s warped, it’s morally bankrupt, and it’s corrupt. Your skin color or zip code should not determine winners and losers."
California State Attorney General Xavier Becerra
Your zip code should not determine your opportunity to succeed.
COVID-19 should not hinder students' opportunities to succeed.
Not only has the coronavirus disproportionately impacted black and brown families, but it has also laid bare persistent and pervasive inequities that are ravaging households already on the margins. Work from home options or the personal tutorial assistance that many middle-class families can give their children is not available to lower-class families and communities. Marin City is no exception.
Lingering frustrations with internet access, technology malfunctions, academic challenges, and lack of readily accessible support may have caused as many as 30% -40% of Marin City high school students to "give up" on school and disengage from digital education entirely during the spring semester. This is unacceptable. We know that extended interruptions in education can only exacerbate achievement gaps and cause irreversible learning loss. If we don't make a change now, the gap will never close.
We are proposing the creation of Marin City Freedom Centers Learning Pods; a black-run organization to reengage and motivate students who have temporarily "checked-out of school." These Learning Centers are here for every single student in need. No exceptions. Freedom Centers will provide full-day, in-person monitoring and academic support as well as after school homework assistance. Freedom Centers will be located throughout Marin City and will function as mini-campuses for groups of 4-8 students who will be referred to specific pods by school administrators. COVID protocols will be strictly observed.
We have no choice but to create options for these disaffected students. If we do nothing, they will continue to fall further behind. We cannot let that happen. If you are able to, please donate. Please help us ensure that COVID-19 does not cause irreversible inequities within schools in Marin.