LACK OF DIVERSITY IN ACSD

In the town of Attica, everyone either works at the prison or knows someone who works there, and this is no less true when looking specifically at the student body of Attica Central Schools. With a population of over 90% white students, the student body is a direct reflection of the lack of diversity that is evident in the town. Despite all this, faculty members work to shut down racism and other forms of discrimination and bigotry whenever it may occur, and adult leaders at the school feel that although the school is not very diverse, it is a very accepting environment where people from all walks of life can feel comfortable in their own skin. A vast majority of the racist comments that are overheard by faculty are reflective of the fact that many of the kids' parents work in the prison, and bring their racist ideologies home with them. This leads to comments such as "I don't want to be a correctional officer because I don't want to hate black people for the rest of my life." (overheard by Elise Meyer, the school counselor for seniors at the high school). While the prison is seen as a positive influence in the lives of students, given that it provides the jobs which allow their parents to support their families, it also leads to a very skewed vision of people of color within the students' minds.

INTERVIEW WITH ELISE MEYER

• The students go to wyoming and attica prison

• They just get a tour of the outside

• Not affected by the prison they’re so used to it that it doesn’t really bother them

• “Everyone knows someone who works there”

• The kids don’t really talk about it, it has been there for so long

• The kids went to wyoming county hospital, a prisoner was shackled and walked by the students

• The kids whose parents work at the prison are racist! And the kids are racist → say things like “I don’t want to be a CO because I don’t want to hate black people” among other racist comments which adults at the school work to shut down

• Pretty low diversity rate at the school, 98% white

• The only black people they see or hear about are the people in the prison

• No one is ever afraid of the prison, of anyone getting our or anything like that

• Doesn’t come up much except for careers,  prison is the biggest employer in the county

• Her mom was a student at attica when the prison riot occurred

• Prison farm? → if they have good behavior they can go work on the farm, there’s a whole barn and it’s a working farm (at attica prison)

-this farm is right behind the athletic fields

-so you can see the farm, during games and practices and stuff

• Trip: it’s exciting, it’s a field trip, but it’s no more exciting than other field trips

• They didn’t go last year

• It’s just for the AP psych class, didn’t go last year

• When she started working here, she thought that more kids would have parents who were incarcerated but none of them really do

• Prison is a positive thing for most kids because it supports their family

• They’re okay with having the prison there, they know it isn’t a place they want to go

• Prison farm: the kids don’t mention anything about it

• She started working at Attica 2 years ago → was at letchworth before that

-student bodies at these two schools were pretty similar. A bit more drug use in attica, but the kids are similar, both rural areas

• 50% live in the town, 50% live just outside

• This school is the 3rd largest in the state

• Low diversity rate plays a part in racist comments, aren’t exposed to people of different races except when they see prisoners

• Was always just that class, hard to take too many kids

• There are a lot of permission slips and paperwork that they need to fill out

-parent permission

-might have to sign a NYS background clearance form (background check) → she isn’t sure though