San Rafael City Schools Superintendent Jim Hogeboom has decided to hold an open house at the school Saturday, inviting neighbors and families nearby.
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"Some of it is ignorance of people in the neighborhood who don't really understand what the school is about and there's obviously elements of racism there as well," Hogeboom said.
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In a January newsletter titled 'Reflections on Equity,' Hogeboom explains that San Pedro Elementary serves a total of 522 students, 98% are Hispanic, 85% are English learners and 24% are homeless. He wants to address racial segregation and promote equity within the school system.
"The kids from San Pedro are bused from the Canal area so the surrounding neighborhood is predominately white," Hogeboom said.
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"People miss-assume all the classes are in Spanish, all the classes are in English," Hogeboom said. He also added that if he could wave a magic wand and make every student bilingual he would.
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Hogeboom said demographics are changing.
"We're a predominately Latino school district. Our kids are predominately Latino, that's who our kids are and that's a great thing it's not something to be afraid of," Hogeboom said.
The open house will be held Saturday from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in the lunchroom at San Pedro Elementary School.
"I just want them to see that San Pedro is one of our great schools like all of the other ones and I want to invite them in to get to know who we are," Hogeboom said.