First hour: How can members of law enforcement better interact with people who have disabilities?
Second hour: How should districts and families respond to racist incidents in schools?How can members of law enforcement better interact with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities? We hear from participants of a recent event with the Arc of Monroe and the Advocacy Alliance. We talk with members of law enforcement about police training techniques, and we hear from people with disabilities and advocates about their perspectives and experiences. Our guests:
- Reenie Levy, self-advocate with the Advocacy Alliance
- Brian Potvin, staff member at the Arc of Monroe
- Lt. Richard Waldo, Community Affairs Bureau, Rochester Police Department
- Trooper Jason Klewicki, Troop E School and Community Outreach Coordinator, New York State Police
- This story is reported from WXXI’s Inclusion Desk.
Then in our second hour, the Pittsford Central School District is responding to several racist incidents involving students. One involves a video in which a white student is seen brandishing an air-soft gun and threatening to kill Black people. Sheriffs deputies say the video is months-old but was circulated recently. A second incident involves white middle school students making racist remarks via text and on social media. Officials at the district say a student walkout is planned for this morning. This hour, we talk about how districts, students, and families should respond to racist incidents, and how anti-racism education should be handled. Our guests:
- Kevin Beckford, member of the Pittsford Town Board
- Casey Kosiorek, superintendent of the Hilton Central School District
- Justin Murphy, education reporter for the Democrat & Chronicle
*Pittsford Central School District Superintendent Mike Pero was invited to participate in this conversation. His office told us he is not available for this discussion, but may be able to join the program next week.
