Finally, some good news in Ferguson, Mo. Even though the new school year has been postponed due to protests and fear of violence in the streets, teachers aren’t just waiting around until the chaos dies down.
Like true beacons of the community, these educators are cleaning the streets and holding classes at public libraries so parents have a place to bring their kids while they are at work.
NPR reports that 150 teachers in the nearby Jennings School District picked up broken glass, water bottles and tear gas canisters from the street. High school students also volunteered to help pick up the debris from the riots following the shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown.
MORE: While Civil Unrest Rocks Their Community, This Teacher is Working to Prevent Ferguson’s Kids from Going Hungry
“We’re here to be part of the community,” high school math teacher David Fox told the Chicago Sun Times. “We’ve got to do something.”
The Jennings School District is also offering mental health counseling and making sure that students who receive free or reduced school lunches are being delivered their meals. According to Think Progress, the Riverview Gardens School District has also handed out free breakfast and lunch at three schools.
Providing food is so much more than an act of compassion. NationSwell previously that with the poverty rate in Ferguson almost double Missouri’s average, many kids don’t get proper nutrition unless they are in school.
“We like to tell kids we’re a lifeline,” Jennings School District superintendent Tiffany Anderson told NPR. “And that’s really the message that we’re giving today. We’re a lifeline.”
DON’T MISS: The New Way for Citizens to Report the Actions of Law Enforcement