Beginning early in 2023, the Royal Oak School district will become a No Place for Hate district, as designated by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). 

No Place for Hate is a program created by the ADL in 1985 that aims to “combat prejudice and create effective tools to address these issues in the classroom and community.” The program is designed to be led by students. ROHS staff learned about No Place for Hate during two staff development sessions in November, when ADL representatives came to the high school and oriented the staff to the program. 

The decision came from the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Royal Oak School District, Dr. Kim Martin. In order to be considered for No Place for Hate designation, a school must design and implement three activities focused on promoting student inclusivity. Each school will tailor the program to its specific needs and its student population. Royal Oak High School has been a No Place for Hate school in the past and is recommitting to the program.

According to Royal Oak High School Principal Sharida Lewis, the activities for the high school will be student-led and will rely on the creativity of the student body. The process of how these activities will be created is yet to be determined, but it will include student input and participation in the creation and implementation of activities.

The school district’s action is mainly a recommitment to its current policy of inclusion, and will not come with any change to school policy for the high school. Instead, it will mainly serve to strengthen the current school policy toward discrimination and inclusion and ensure that this policy is followed.

 “This runs in alignment with our building and district goals, and it will give students the opportunity to have a voice and lead this work in the building for their school community. We are excited to see what unfolds,” said ROHS Assistant Principal, Alyssa Reimold.