It is clear that we in Lower Moreland need to change and pop the bubble of privilege that the majority of us have resided in for so long. After listening to the community’s demand for change, the school board established a diversity initiative to promote an anti-racist school climate. One of the district’s many stated goals is to ensure that there is more representation of minority subgroups within the curriculum to promote diversity and cultural inclusion.

It is important to have representation in the literature we read in school. Books allow us to experience a variety of cultures and perspectives. Much of the work we read in school is written from the same perspective: that of white males. For example, personally, every book that I have read so far at Lower Moreland has been from this same perspective with the exception of The Pearl and Things Fall Apart. 

The Lower Moreland Township School District, now recognizing and taking accountability for the systematic racism rooted within its institutions, is committed to seeing that change is made by reviewing the current curriculum, policies, and procedures related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The English department is in the process of making its curriculum more diverse. Each book proposed will need to be approved by the school board, which is a lengthy process. 

Some students are questioning the substance of the changes being contemplated, especially since detailed information on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan has not yet been released to the public. Hopefully, the changes Lower Moreland makes are meaningful and not the superficial kind designed to check a box. But overall, the district seems committed to ensuring that every student feels safe and accepted, having devoted significant time to the planning of the diversity initiative and turning a critical and needed eye towards the curriculum.