Abstract
Summary
It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) that systemic racism must be eliminated from the United States, and this elimination can begin with school systems, school staff, families, and children. Racism, a public health crisis, threatens the health, educational attainment, and well-being of children and adolescents. School systems hold a profound formative influence in the lives of students. Where racism exists, students of color experience adverse impacts on their health, well-being, and learning. Schools must be systems within communities where antiracism is the default culture and climate.
Rationale
Racism exists when institutions and laws support attitudes or beliefs that discriminate with regard to individuals or groups on skin color or ethnicity (University of Kansas, 2014). Jones’s (2000) theory presents three levels of racism
institutionalized, for example, structural;
personally mediated, for example, prejudice and discrimination; and
internalized, for example, helplessness, hopelessness, and devaluing self.
All children and adolescents deserve to be supported as they develop and grow. Racism is a social determinant of health (Trent et al., 2019). An example of the impact of racism is residential segregation that results in segregated schools that limit diversity and equity (Reardon, 2016). Psychosocial stress experienced by youth of color is associated with chronic disease, including behavioral disorders and mental health conditions (Pachter et al., 2018, Trent et al., 2019).
To provide all students with an environment where they are healthy, safe, engaged, and challenged, a collaborative approach to health and learning must be in place (ASCD & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). NASN holds that to optimize student health, safety, and learning, students and adults in schools and school systems must model antiracist systems and behaviors. As school and community healthcare providers, school nurses advocate and act as change agents to support students and their families. School nurses and other school and school system staff individually assess their own explicit and implicit biases via partnerships with community providers and agencies. Cultivating change in schools and school systems include actions such as
review school policies and practices to uncover and eliminate racism; examine relationship between racial achievement gaps and racial discipline gaps and propose interventions (Pearman et al., 2019) address racism in bullying and violence policies
advocate for system changes that celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion; annually engage school staff on education on cultural diversity, discrimination, and racism hire and retain staff with diverse backgrounds
provide evidence-based curriculum that teaches students and families how to recognize implicit bias and address racism;
promote empathy by actively listening to lived experience of racism as told by students, families, colleagues, and community members; and
improve student and teacher interactions to increase students sense of belonging and connectedness.
Adopted: June 2020