LETTER: Diverse student population deserves support

One of the defining characteristics that unites all of humanity is the concept of love. Love is the expression of and appreciation for one another in this world, and it comes in many, diverse forms.

Growing up in Rio Rancho and attending Rio Rancho Public Schools kindergarten through senior year, I witnessed my peers and friends suffer at the hands of undue and unjust discrimination and bullying. The discrimination and bullying does not just affect one group, but it impacts different groups in different ways. Promoting diversity in our school system is but one way to dispel misconceptions and stereotypes that people hold against certain demographics.

Upon graduating college, I returned to RRPS as a science teacher, and I saw a marked improvement in how staff and faculty responded to and handled such a diverse student population. Despite the progress made since I was a student, RRPS made the decision to send out an email regarding rainbow "safe space" signs located in classrooms across the district. The signs in question, designed to show support for a vulnerable population, were ordered to be removed due to the perception that the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community means excluding other communities. This is not the case at all.

We, as educators, have a duty to make our buildings as inviting and warming to students as possible, regardless of their personal choices of identity. It is disheartening to hear that the school district that served me so well during my formative years is appearing to make an attempt to silence students' opinions, and quiet the voices of the many allies in the school system, while at the same time, regressing the acceptance of our diverse student population. It is my sincerest hope that all of our diverse students receive the acceptance that they deserve.

Christian Dern

Rio Rancho