Support the Iowa City school Diversity Policy

I'm disappointed that some people in the Iowa City Community School District and on our school board are incrementally undermining and weakening the Diversity Policy.

The policy was created as a way to achieve more demographic equity in our community schools to ensure an equally good education for all children, no matter what their address, whether they are from affluent families or not.

The well-intended Diversity Policy passed by the ICCSD school board is becoming difficult to achieve because many people in our district are resistant to changes in school boundaries, not realizing that their children and they themselves could adapt to those changes and still have great schools and educational experiences.

We all have to accept and adapt to some changes in our lives.

Our children will thrive in good schools wherever they are, especially if they are close to their neighborhood and have equity of demographics, curricula and facilities. We don't have to isolate our children or ourselves from others who are not just like us or don't live in houses as expensive as ours.

I encourage you to support the Diversity Policy and the creation of new school boundaries in a fair and reasonable way for the good of every child and every family in our school district.

Adapted from the ICCSD Mission Statement: 'Every child has intrinsic worth, can learn, and deserves a good education. The understanding of and respect for diversity are fundamental to individual rights and enrich community life.”

John Macatee

Iowa City