NBC News podcast delves into Southlake Carroll schools fights over race and education

A new NBC News podcast delves into the struggle for diversity and inclusion in Southlake schools.

Carroll’s affluent, predominantly white school district has become a symbol of the firestorm over how this country treats race and racism in the classroom.

The series, South Lake, tells how everything went. The six-part podcast is hosted by national investigative reporter Mike Hixenbaugh and NBC News correspondent Antonia Hylton.

“In 2018, a 9-second video opened up some very old divisions and revealed an uncomfortable truth,” the audio trailer describes. “Your experience at school has a lot to do with your skin color.”

It was the year a video of Southlake college students chanting the N word went viral. Subsequently, the district convened a group of over 60 students, parents and staff to discuss how students of color are treated in the district and to make recommendations on how to improve the environment. school.

The resulting “Cultural Competence Action Plan” includes a broad set of recommendations such as: hire an Equity and Inclusion Director; establish a complaints system through which students can report discrimination; require training in cultural skills; and audit the district school curriculum for equity.

But many families quickly turned against the group’s work and rallied against the proposals. In tense school board meetings, parents accused the district of promoting a “leftist agenda” or creating a “diversity police.” Meanwhile, students of color stood up to testify about the racism they faced at school.

A mother in the neighborhood sued for the plan. Two trustees were indicted to violate the Texas Open Meetings Act by discussing diversity work in private. A stormy election season led to major changes within the school board, with candidates opposed to the sweeping diversity plan.

As tensions in Southlake intensified, national culture wars also intensified on the idea of ​​”critical theory of race” in schools, fueling the Carroll ISD fire.

“We basically stumbled upon a city that was two years ahead of the fight that is now spreading across the country,” Hixenbaugh said. The Chronicle of Houston.

Carroll ISD spokeswoman Karen Fitzgerald said the district has listened to family concerns and will roll out a new system for students and parents to report incidents to administration.

Due to a temporary restraining order, she said, “the district cannot implement or discuss anything related to our diversity plan.”

The first two episodes will be available on August 30, with new episodes every Monday.

The DMN Education Lab deepens coverage and conversation on pressing education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network , Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of Education Lab journalism.