Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SPS
February 10, 2021
William Burkhead
Superintendent, Scituate Public Schools
Dear Mr. Burkhead,
We write to express our ongoing support for DEI work in Scituate Public Schools, as well as our concern about delays and missteps in this critical work. The recent surfacing of yet another racist incident involving a Scituate High School student proves that there is no time to waste in addressing racism, bias, and intolerance.
Scituate youth are speaking out at School Committee meetings, at meetings of the Town’s Advisory Committee on Justice and Equity for All, at meetings and events hosted by Scituate’s grassroots organizations, in school publications, and on social media. They feel that the environment in SPS is unsafe, unjust, and hostile. The voices of those speaking out belong to victims, witnesses, allies, and activists. They are asking for clear and consistent policies, procedures, and guidelines around issues of discrimination, bias, and intolerance. They are asking that their identities and experiences be represented in the curriculum. They are asking for anti-bias education beginning in elementary school so that all students can feel safe and respected within SPS. They want to be listened to and they want justice. We wholeheartedly support these students as they advocate for themselves, their peers, and the wider community of Scituate.
The Steering Committee of Scituate Together for Representation, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE) recommends that the Anti-Racism Statement adopted by the School Committee in October 2020 be used not only as a guiding philosophy, but as a tool to measure the work that is being done to end bias in SPS, and as a template for language that should be used in any communication from SPS regarding DEI issues or, conversely, incidents of hate and intolerance.
The high school administration’s response to the latest racist incident yet again missed the mark in its refusal to label the underlying racist behavior as unacceptable. Time and again, in these situations, the high school administration responds with pleas for parents to control their children’s social media activity. The condemnation and censure are aimed at the individuals sharing the behavior, rather than the individuals exhibiting the behavior. While we understand that sharing racist and other biased incidents on social media does additional harm, the original harm is done by the original hostile behavior, and that behavior should ALWAYS be called out as the underlying problem to be solved.
Further, it must be made clear that DEI is not just a “theme,” but critical work that must be undertaken to ensure basic human rights and an equitable education for all Scituate students. Rather than “celebrating diversity,” SPS must adopt a position of being a district that is actively anti-racist, anti-bias, and anti-harassment. Students, caregivers, and the entire community need to know whether the administrators, teachers, and staff of the Scituate Public Schools are finally ready to take a stand against the bias and hate present in this community and being exhibited by students in the school system.
It is troubling that incidents of racism and intolerance continue to arise with such frequency in Scituate. And there is further harm done when the administration does not respond with consistency and transparency. It is critical that SPS develop clear policies, procedures, and guidelines around issues of discrimination and harassment. There is an urgent need for a districtwide Hate Crimes / Bias Incident Policy and procedures to go with it.
We bring your attention to the work that the Newton Public School district has done in this area. Many are holding up as a model Newton’s extensive set of policies that are backed up with readily available written procedures, guidelines, and informational documentation. Their documentation includes protocols for reporting and investigating incidents as well as information on what the community can expect in the way of follow up communications and education after an incident. These protocols provide a road map for consistent responses that protect students’ privacy and limit additional harm on the part of the administration. It is crucial that restorative practices be incorporated into the response plans, as the damage done by these incidents ripple out into the community and the response must therefore take the community into consideration. We have provided links to some of these documents at the end of this letter.
We realize that this is a terribly difficult year for public school administrators and teachers. Yet we ask you to do more. While we await the hiring of a DEI Director, it is imperative that the work of trying to ensure the safety and inclusion of all students does not stall. We were glad to hear of the creation of the DEI Planning and Response Team at Monday night’s School Committee meeting. This team can begin to tackle issues immediately and will serve as a useful resource for the incoming DEI Director. We are curious as to whether the SPS DEI Team will be working in coordination with the School Committee’s DEI Subcommittee, if the SPS team will work independently from the SC’s subcommittee, or if the SC’s subcommittee has been disbanded. Clarification on this would be helpful to the community.
Regarding the process for hiring a DEI Director, we are pleased to see that the position is now listed with a deadline of “Posted Until Filled.” This is a critically important position, and we feel that it is important to leave the search open until the best possible candidate has been hired. We also urge the administration to publicize the position widely so that SPS can attract the largest possible number of highly qualified candidates. If you have not done so already, please consider posting it to Nemnet, the Mass Partnership for Diversity, the Bay State Banner, and The Teachers’ Lounge MA. We look forward to hearing about the finalists for the position.
Thank you for your commitment to DEI. Social-emotional well-being and educational equity are both essential to the creation of an environment where academic excellence can be achieved. STRIDE continues to be available to help in this crucial work. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to support you and the students of Scituate.
Sincerely,
Members of the STRIDE Steering Committee
Scituate Together for Representation, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity
Maria Fenwick Murthy, Carey Borkoski, Meredith Laban, Ann Lattinville,
Jen McGonagle-Dziedzic, Jean Shildneck, Megan Sommer, Lauren Vitali
CC:
Jennifer Arnold, SPS Assistant Superintendent (jarnold@scit.org)
Lisa Maguire, SHS Principal (lmaguire@scit.org)
Karen Hughes, SHS Assistant Principal (khughes@scit.org)
William Luette, SHS Assistant Principal (wluette@scit.org)
Ryan Beattie, Gates Principal (rbeattie@scit.org)
Samantha Lesniak, Gates Assistant Principal (slesniak@scit.org)
Donna Moffat, Cushing Principal (dmoffat@scit.org)
Julie Ward, Hatherly Principal (jward@scit.org)
Rebecca Long, Jenkins Principal (rlong@scit.org)
Tracy Riordan, Wampatuck Principal (triordan@scit.org)
Michele Boebert, Director of Special Education (mboebert@scit.org)
Michelle Crawford, Scituate METCO Director (mcrawford@scit.org)
Peter Gates, Scituate School Committee (pgates@scit.org)
Michael Long, Scituate School Committee (mlong@scit.org)
Janice Lindblom, Scituate School Committee (jlindblom@scit.org)
Michael Hayes, Scituate School Committee (mhayes@scit.org)
Nicole Brandolini, Scituate School Committee (nbrandolini@scit.org)
Maura Curran, Scituate Select Board (mcurran@scituatema.gov)
Nikki Sanders, Select Board Adv. Comm. on DEI (ewuniki@gmail.com)
Resources:
Newton School Committee Policies, Procedures, and Protocols - Equity Policy and Guidelines
https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/3469
Newton School Committee Online Policy Manual - Root Directory
https://z2policy.ctspublish.com/masc/browse/newtonset/newton/root
Newton School Committee Online Policy Manual - Non-Discrimination Policy
https://z2policy.ctspublish.com/masc/browse/newtonset/newton/ACE
Newton School Committee Policies, Procedures, and Protocols - Responding to Incidents of Bias or Discrimination
https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/3323
Newton School Committee Policies, Procedures, and Protocols - How to Report an Incident of Bias or Discrimination
https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/3324
Protocol for Reporting and Investigating Discrimination, Harassment and Intimidation
Newton Public Schools Students' Rights and Responsibilities Handbook
https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/page/2915
Letters from Superintendent to Staff and to Families - Reflection on Racism and the Newton Public Schools - June 1, 2020
Edutopia’s Restorative Justice: Resources for Schools
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/restorative-justice-resources-matt-davis
Education Week - Ways to Implement Restorative Practices in the Classroom
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Scituate STRIDE is a volunteer-run organization. We check email twice per week and will respond as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience.