Get to know your child’s classroom during Sacramento City Unified's Black Parent Involvement Day

The Sacramento City Unified School District, in partnership with the Black Parallel School Board, is hosting its seventh annual Black Parent Involvement Day on Tuesday, Feb. 20. 

This event — where Black parents, along with other parents, are invited to visit and observe the practices in their child’s classroom — is one the few held in the state and started in 2018 with the help of Carl Pinkston, a Black Parallel School Board member.

“There's a whole myth around Black parents,” he advocated. “It's that they’re not concerned about education.”

After hearing narratives from community members, Pinkston found that Black parents wanted to be involved on campus but did not find it to be a “welcoming environment.”

“They oftentimes get disrespected, talked down and blamed,” he said. “You generally see black parents when you suspend our kids and then we come to try to resolve.”

Yvonne Wright, the chief academic officer for the district, is optimistic that in light of Black History Month, this event can promote diversity and inclusion on campus.

“It acknowledges the unique experiences and perspectives of Black families and shows a willingness to understand and address their needs within the educational system,” she said. 

To ensure parents are empowered on the day of the event, the Black Parallel School Board will hold a training on Feb. 15 on how to engage in the classroom.

“They'll be given a list of questions that they can look for, things to look for: When you walk into the class, was it welcoming? How was the person at the front desk?” Pinkston explained about the hesitation parents have when being on school campuses. “The law says that a parent has the right to attend the child's classroom.”

According to Pinkston, they’ve had parents of all ethnic backgrounds attend the involvement days in the past and seen success. The Black Parallel School Board is looking to collaborate with other districts to expand the reach of the event.

Srishti Prabha is an education reporter and Report For America corps member in collaboration with CapRadio and The Sacramento Observer. Their focus is K-12 education in Sacramento’s Black communities.