Last week, educators throughout California expressed their outrage over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed May 25 by a white police officer in Minneapolis, setting off a wave of protests across the country to demand racial equality. Many superintendents issued statements condemning Floyd’s death while reflecting on the education system’s role in perpetuating racial injustice. “As an educator, it hurts me to know there are inequalities in our systems that mirror what we know exists in our society. Yet, it is our moral duty as teachers to recognize the issue, name it for what it is, and be unafraid to have the difficult conversations with our students and families about fighting implicit racism, injustice and inequality,” said San Bernardino County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “I join with countless educators and citizens across every occupation in every state of our country in being morally outraged for the actions that caused the death of Mr. Floyd. As the greatest country in the world, we need to do better by all our people.” Marin County Superintendent of Schools Mary Jane Burke also denounced the actions of the police officers in Minneapolis, adding that teachers, support staff, administrators, and law enforcement officers participate in ongoing cultural competency trainings to help dismantle the structures that support racial profiling. “Thousands of individuals in Marin County have been trained to know how to recognize bias in themselves and in others, and to know how to work toward eliminating bias with their voices. It is time for us to use the tools we have learned to take action,” she said. “Now is the time that we all should join together to do our part. Peaceful protests showing solidarity in our commitment to ‘be the change’ are critical. ... It is our job to model what a unified America must embody and teach our children to embrace the task of making equity a human right.” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond also responded to the death of Floyd by calling on communities across the state and nation to take action to dismantle institutional racism and inequities in public schools. He invited students, educators, families, and partners to participate in an upcoming series of honest, courageous conversations that can help inform the work ahead. “Given the gravity of what has happened, it is important to me to take some time to talk about the important need for us to have racial justice in California and in this country,” said Thurmond. “It has been difficult for me to make sense of how a man can beg and plead for his life and still have his life snuffed out. It has been hard for me, as a black man, who every day thinks about the impact of race. It has been difficult for me, as a parent raising African American children, to know what to say, how to answer their questions when they ask me, ’Dad, why did this happen?’ And to know that I have to confront my own vulnerability: that when they ask me, ‘Could this happen to them?’ that I might not be able to keep them safe.” In his remarks, Thurmond noted that public education can play an important role in better exploring the connection between issues of educational equity and implicit bias in the classroom and the systemic racism that persists throughout society. Black and brown students are more likely to be suspended and expelled and fall behind academically, for example, and schools that serve communities of color are often the most under-resourced. Thurmond also announced that he and the CDE will be launching a series of discussions that will include superintendents and educational leaders from across California, students, teachers, school support staff, parents, and caregivers.