Kern High School District holds community forum Thursday night

Kern High School District officials continued discussions with the community on Thursday night about student behavior and school climate.

Thursday night's forum included samples of student discipline and referral data, current school climate survey results, and practices related to positive behavior interventions and supports.

Six years ago, the kern high school district was sued to end discriminatory discipline practices that targeted black and Hispanic students. The district is required to have two community forums each year.

Officials say they recognize the importance of these talks.

"I think the stats are important, and we want the community to understand what is going on in our school sites with regards to the students," said KHSD Assoc. Superintendent Dr. Brenda Lewis.

The Kern Education Justice Collaborative, which held a march for educational justice ahead of the forum, said the district has made strides in recent years to help increase the educational success of minority students, but more needs to be done.