‘PPS Do Better’: Brashear High School students walk out of class to call for change

PITTSBURGH — Holding signs reading “PPS do better” around 40 Brashear High School students left class Thursday and walked to Vannucci Park to call for change at their school.

Among the issues raised was better access to mental health resources and counseling.

Students say the Easter Sunday mass shooting on the North Side highlighted that need.

“There was a lot of Brashear students that went to that party and it was a really tragic event and a lot of them were traumatized by that. That following Monday most of my classes only had 5 students, including me,” said Monica Bynum, an 11th grader who organized the walkout.

Bynum says the district also needs to revamp its curriculum.

She’s pushing for more creativity and customization and less uniformity.

“My favorite teacher, she did something with her lessons if a student wanted to draw or they wanted to write an essay, she would use those different ways instead of just ‘everybody do an essay or everybody do this,’ when everybody can’t do that. They’re not going to learn that way,” said Bynum.

She believes diversity among teachers will help bring fresh ideas to the classroom.

“We are one of the most diverse schools in Pennsylvania. We’re actually number 30,” said Bynum.  “We have a majority of Black students and we don’t have diverse teachers at all.”

School board member Devon Taliaferro attended the walk out in solidarity with the students.

“Representation is important and it matters and so I hear them when they say they want to see more teachers that look like them whether they’re Black or Hispanic or Asian or whoever,” said Taliaferro.

Taliaferro says she’ll be pushing her colleagues to put these ideas into action.

“As a single school board director, I speak for myself, it’s just really making sure that I continue to advocate,” she said.

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