Diversity, Equity and Belonging (DEB) department director Caroline Han presented a summary of the year’s events and ongoing programs at the May 13 School Committee meeting.
Before Han presented, Superintendent Dr. David Fleishman stressed how important the work on Diversity, Equity and Belonging is in making all the members of the school community feel seen and included.
“While this is 70% of Caroline’s job and she holds the title, it’s really all of our jobs,” Fleishman said.
Han began by reading the department’s statement and explained that it is the district’s goal that every single person feel included. She then provided an update on the second year of Warm Demander training in the elementary schools. Before the training, she reached out to teachers and asked specifically what they wanted and needed in the classroom. When the response was case studies to examine and study as a team, Hans let teachers work in small groups to look at a variety of different scenarios. Exit ticket responses showed that teachers benefited from the training, by working together, having a space where they could ask questions without feeling judged, and learning new techniques.
“Restorative practices” (a framework of principles and strategies designed to build healthy communities, strengthen relationships, and resolve conflict) were also discussed. The first rounds took place with administrators and leaders so they could model what they were expecting. Up to 90 staff members are trained on Tier 1 of restorative practices, which involves getting to know each other and building a sense of belonging. Restorative practices involve a shift in the mindset of resolving conflict, and the team agreed that more teachers needed to be trained to keep the momentum going.
There was also a discussion about the Discrimination Response Protocol that was implemented over the last two years. This is an online form that can be submitted by kids, principals, students or parents. Han said the district strives to make it as easy as possible for people to report an incident. While there is still a learning curve for many, most middle school and high school students know what this form is and how to fill it out. Middle schoolers were taught in assemblies and high school students were trained in advisories where they were also able to act out certain scenarios.
Assistant Superintendent Betsy Gavron looked at the data and said that the number of submissions this year were almost identical to this time last year. The data showed that the highest number of submissions fall into the categories of race and ethnicities submissions and anti-Black and anti-Asian racial slurs and racism submissions.
Han admitted that it may be difficult for teachers to find the right in-the-moment responses for infractions and shared some everyday bias and stereotype responses that can be employed when an incident occurs. This ensures that the incident is addressed right away. “We must step in and stop it,” Han said.
She also described various techniques she uses when she addresses kids when there has been an incident. One approach is to be “curious, not furious.” She explained that she always remembers that these are kids and tries to keep it simple. When she enters an elementary classroom to discuss a difficult topic she may start with an introduction or the phrase “so this is what I heard”. On the high school level, learning about the history of racial slur is often a means to getting students not to want to use it again. One participant said, “Now that I learned about the hurt, I don’t want to say it.”
Han admitted that kids are kids and they will make mistakes.
“I love having these conversations because they are part of my job…I just look at all the kids with humanity,” she said. “They make mistakes, sometimes really bad ones and really hurtful ones” but added, “I really believe that kids want to know better.”
Events this year
Han highlighted the many events that highlighted belonging that took place over the academic year. She attended Wayland’s Human Rights Day hosted by HRDEIC with Gavron and WHS Principal Allyson Mizoguchi. jamele adams was a guest speaker. She also referenced Dr. Eden-Renée Hayess four-part series Conversations for Change at the Wayland Free Public Library that included the town’s residents.
She also mentioned the Freedom Team, of which she was a member — “ a non-partisan, community-based initiative made up of volunteers who are available to support individuals who have experienced an incident of bias in Wayland.” While she will be stepping down from this position, she stated that there will be another WHS representative on this team.
Han says adams played a huge role in restorative practices at WHS. He worked with the football team to create an accountability creed for the team and later worked with other members of the student body to do the same. He also presented a Love, Inclusion and Trust Assembly and students highlighted what LIT meant to them via presentations in music, art, speeches, and narratives. He can often be seen playing hacky sack with the students on his biweekly visits and has made tremendous connections with the students.
Members of the DEB (Diversity Equity and Belonging) team described glows and glitter from the year that included celebrating heritage months, putting up bulletins boards, having Pride flags and country flags in the schools, administering Belonging surveys to staff members, and receiving feedback from a student who was excited to read a picture book with a character that “looked like me.”
Han also reported that interest in cultural proficiency education has spread to include veteran teachers who wanted to take her class on Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. (New staff hired , 2021, are required to take 12 hours of coursework related to cultural proficiency even if they have taken these courses in another district.)
The School Committee also welcomed its two newly elected members, Jessica Traue and Prashant Shukla, and touched on open roles for the coming year.
