News File Photo The Alpena Public Schools Board of Education meets in this 2019 News file photo

ALPENA — Although Alpena Public Schools officials are spending much of their time dealing with impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, there are still plans to review the district’s curricula related to social justice, cultural awareness, and racism.

The school board in June received a petition with 275 signatures from John Mack, who graduated from Alpena High School in 2015, prompting former APS Superintendent John VanWagoner to instruct administrators to review the district’s curriculum.

Gordon Snow, president of the APS Board of Education, said it is still important the district review its curriculum. However, Snow said the pandemic has kept district officials and the board from doing a lot of the things it ought to be doing.

“The bottom line is we haven’t moved as fast as I would like to because COVID has taken up a great deal of our time,” Snow said.

The petition was submitted to the school board weeks after George Floyd died while in police custody and as Black Lives Matter protests were unfolding nationwide.

Mack told the board the education he received in Alpena didn’t prepare him for the diverse world beyond the school. Mack said he first learned about racism, especially racist police practices, during his sophomore year at Central Michigan University, when he had a Black roommate.

Snow said since that initial discussion, three new trustees — Eric Lawson, Anna Meinhardt and Ken Gembel — have joined the board who weren’t part of the original discussion. He said the board should have another conversation to give the new trustees a chance to participate.

“It is going to happen. It won’t be today, tomorrow, next week, or even next month, but it’s definitely going to happen,” he said. “I think it’s important, and I think that we need to address it, but I want to do it right, and I want to do it so we involve lots of people, and that’s going to take some time.”