Rockwood School District agrees to $28,000 contract for services to provide “girls of color a safe space”

On October 6, 2022, the Rockwood School District approved a $28,000 contract with the organization Sisters Helping Each Other Reach a Greater Height. The expenditure is specifically for the organization’s “L.O.V.E. Project” and will consist of “twenty (20) one-hour sessions to take place over ten (10) weeks per semester at each location.” The cost “is $350.00 per session, for a total cost of $7,000.00 to each school.” The contract is districtwide for high schools. It started on October 7, 2022, and ends on May 24, 2023.

Sisters Helping Each Other Reach a Greater Height is an organization that targets specifically “women and girls of color.” The organization appears to exclusively focus on this group of people. The purpose of the organization’s “L.O.V.E. Project” is to provide “girls of color a safe space to explore their experiences and goals.” The organization explains that “our sessions include meditation, yoga, journaling, various personal development activities, and affirmations.” The organization claims that it has “worked with more than 600 girls of color in six different school districts” so far.

The school district has approved contracts with Sisters Helping Each Other Reach a Greater Height on numerous occasions in the past, including in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, the contract was for $15,000 for services with three different high schools. In 2021, the contract was for $28,000 and similar to the contract for 2022.