The Baton Rouge Alliance for Students hosted its sixth annual “Education As A Civil Right” event recently with an interactive game, community activities and a streaming of the documentary “Teach Us All.”
The event was designed as a way for community members to immerse themselves in the experiences of students in the Baton Rouge school system. Key topics discussed during the public forum involved diversity and equity in education.
“The promise of America belongs to every child, regardless of their family income, regardless of the zipcode they’re born into and regardless of their color,” Adonica Pelichet Duggan, CEO of the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students, said.
A total of 185 adults attended the event, held Feb. 26 in the Independence Park Theater building.
To start, the organization gathered the attendees to play “The Game of Life: A Journey of an EBR Student.” The interactive activity allowed players to experience the barriers and opportunities Baton Rouge students face as they go from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Communications Specialist Wateasa Freeman said the game awarded players tokens for positive changes and took away tokens for negative changes. For example, if a hypothetical school was to lose some of its funding, a player would have to give up some tokens.
“Sometimes, people don’t understand the scale of work that needs to be done in the school system,” Freeman said.
According to a 2024 report from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the largest number of students in the East Baton Rouge school system go to D- and F-rated high schools. Amongst this group, about 90% are considered economically disadvantaged.
Following the interactive game, guests joined together inside the theater to view “Teach Us All.” Directed by Sonia Lowman, The 2017 documentary discusses segregation in the school system and its lasting effects today.
After the film the audience engaged in a discussion centered around what they would like to see in Baton Rouge schools. This conversation was moderated by former Superintendent of the Louisiana Recovery School District, Patrick Dobard.
The ideas mentioned during the discussion were captured on a poster board as the audience engaged. Dobard said this idea board will be presented to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board during one of its biweekly meetings in March.
Attendees mentioned improvements, such as more trauma support training for teachers, food pantries and inclusive playgrounds for all kids.
“Remember to keep a ‘yes and’ spirit,” Dobard said. “Yes, these are all wonderful ideas…and it’s going to take resources, leadership and coordination.”
This story was reported and written by a student with the support of the non-profit Louisiana Collegiate News Collaborative, an LSU-led coalition of eight universities funded by the Henry Luce and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundations.
