STATEMENT FROM DR. WILLIAMS:
“I was informed that the NYSED Commissioner Rosa, Chancellor Young, and the Board of Regents made the decision to cancel the June 2022 U.S. History and Government Regent's Examination, due to extremely graphic and insensitive race related questions on the exam. The care, consideration, and sensitivity shown in their swift decision demonstrates true leadership and advocacy for the well-being of students.
Given the extremely unfortunate and acute level of trauma that students in the Buffalo Public Schools have experienced this school year, I really appreciate and embrace the cancellation of this exam. The students in our district have endured grief at profound levels as a result of a: global health pandemic, school shooting, and a heinous massacre at a Tops Supermarket location within the last two weeks in which 10 lives were taken. To unnecessarily exposure them to and force them to respond on a high stakes final examination to an insensitive and even cruel question about race, racism, and white supremacy would not further their academic growth; rather it would likely provoke feelings of marginalization, confusion, and hurt.
Finally, during this tumultuous time our principals, teachers, and other school staff have been working tirelessly with our students to promote feelings of healing, unity, mutual understanding, respect, and social justice. To unnecessarily expose them to and force them to respond to a thoughtless, cruel, and insensitive question on racism and white supremacy on a high stakes final examination has the grave potential to provoke further social emotional harm and feelings of marginalization, confusion, and hurt."
