How Highline Students are Leading the Way in Supporting Each Other

By Matt Halvorson

A group of students in the Highline Public School District issued a statement recently that cut straight through the tension, fear and anger that dominate the current political conversation. The Highline High School International Rescue Committee's statement of solidarity seeks only to elevate the voices of the vulnerable in their community. It's inspiring.

Highline Superintendent Susan Enfield wrote a similarly thoughtful open letter to all Highline families, sharing the IRC's statement and reiterating the district's commitment to all of its students:

Dear Highline Families,

We in Highline pride ourselves on the diversity of our community. We know that the rich cultures and languages of our students and families are not only an asset, but also an integral part of our shared identity and experience. 

As the U.S. presidential campaign gains intensity, we find ourselves living in a political climate that is becoming increasingly divisive and disturbing for many of us. Some of our students feel afraid for their safety because of what they are hearing in the news. Some have been taunted, teased or ridiculed by others who are acting on what they hear. This is unacceptable.

Regardless of our own political affiliations or beliefs, every Highline staff member has an obligation to you, our students and families, to ensure you feel safe, welcomed and respected at school. We commit to intervene when we see or hear offensive, bigoted words and actions. We commit to communicate, daily, to each of our students that Our Promise of knowing them by name, strength and need means that we will protect, advocate for and value them equally no matter their race, language or ethnicity.

As is so often the case, I have found my greatest role models for tolerance and courage not in those who hold, or aspire to, positions of power, but rather in our very own Highline students. I want to share a Statement of Solidarity from the Highline High School Student International Rescue Committee. These remarkable students inspire and challenge each of us to "respect people the way that we want to be respected [and] strive to live out the promise of the American ideal." I encourage you to read and share this powerful, honest statement with your children, family and friends knowing it represents the best of who we are as a school system and community.

I have asked our staff to be especially mindful of the safety, security and sense of belonging our children and young adults feel right now, and I ask you to partner with us in that. Let your school’s principal know if you see or hear anything that concerns you. 

Highline students are brilliant, beautiful and brimming with promise, and we recognize that they need our protection, advocacy and reassurance now more than ever. This is our moral obligation as educators.

We are Highline--all of us.

Susan Enfield, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Highline Public Schools