“Textbook Fake Community Engagement” - Prov. Student Union Leader Calls Out RIDE - UPDATED

“Textbook Fake Community Engagement” - Prov. Student Union Leader Calls Out RIDE - UPDATED

The head of the Providence Student Union is blasting the Rhode Island Department of Education for what he said was a last-minute invitation to participate in focus groups this week.

On Tuesday, Providence Student Union Executive Director Zack Mezera took to Facebook to blast RIDE for the late invite to participate in focus groups — taking place on Wednesday and Thursday — on such topics as school culture, safety, cell phone policy, and attendance, as part of RIDE’s involvement with moving towards a takeover over the Providence schools. 

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Mezera wrote:

This morning, Rhode Island Department of Education - RIDE sent out invitations to various youth organizations (and others?) to attend "Community Focus Group Sessions" on topics (debatably?) related to the impending state takeover of Providence schools.

These "community sessions" are scheduled for the following two days, as-in, tomorrow and the day after.

If anyone has an explanation of how it's possible for students to attend these meetings with 24-48 hours notice—or for organizations to mobilize their youth participants in that same time frame—with any kind of authenticity, I'd love to hear it. Please, help me understand.

Because this looks like textbook fake "community engagement" to me: Some "focus groups" are called on issues determined by someone else. Very few people show up to those meetings. And so the decision makers claim that the community "doesn't care" or "isn't engaged"—and plow ahead with their pre-made plans anyway.

This is what happens when the community doesn't *control* the process for gathering input. When we aren't in structural positions of power to improving our schools *together*. This is the strategy.

I see no signs of this pattern of engagement changing—*unless* RIDE actually puts youth and parents in real, meaningful control of this process. Otherwise, the state is going to waste a lot of time. The state is going to waste a lot of money. (Although they're going to make certain groups of people a lot of money.) And the state is going to hurt a lot of young people.

In his post, Mezera tagged Governor Gina Raimondo, Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, Board of Education Chair Barbara Cottam, and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza. 

"The invitations sent out yesterday should have been released as a series. We recognize that the short notice posed a challenge for the stakeholders to fully engage, and we apologize for the miscommunication on our end," said RIDE spokesperson Meg Geoghegan. "We are going to send out a full schedule of opportunities, which should have been provided...so that they can more fully participate."

Updated Wednesday 5:50 p.m.