Weaving through the barren roads of North Memphis, Tennessee, I drive past rows of blighted homes, a tattered gas station with the sole grocery store, and a few bus stops hidden in the grass. I pull up to Northaven Elementary, sign in, and wait for Principal Louis Padgett, who is busy facilitating weekend housing arrangements for two homeless students. Padgett greets me, takes me on a tour, and bends my ear as the district’s chief financial officer about his school’s needs.

Every three steps, students, parents, and teachers stop us to share personal news or explain a student’s situation. We hear about an 8-year-old Latino boy who sleeps in a car because his family was evicted and about a 9-year-old Black girl who picks up lunch leftovers reserved for her and her siblings. Padgett smiles as he responds to each student’s challenges. I leave the school wondering what more the district can do to help.

Similar school tours can be taken in many districts across the country. A huge burden is too often placed on principals and teachers to educate students and mitigate societal ills. They need greater support from school systems.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the gross inequalities that plague our society and how important school districts are in addressing them. As districts return from COVID-19, social responsibility must be integrated into their restoration. They have a moral imperative not only to educate their students but also to help liberate them and their families from social injustice and to support the revitalization and sustainability of their communities and environment.

Read the full article about school districts embracing social responsibility by Lin Johnson III at Stanford Social Innovation Review.