Fall 2020
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Newsletter
In honor of Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15), our Latinx/Hispanic Staff Affinity Group shared a few profiles of Latinx and Hispanic folks who have made a significant impact in the world. Check them out below!
Curious about the terms Hispanic and Latinx? Illustrator Terry Blas has created some informative and entertaining comic strips. This one explains the term Latinx, as well as some of the author's perspectives on its use, and this one delineates the difference between Hispanic and Latinx (although it uses the term Latino based on when it was written).
Other Awareness/Celebratory Month Campaigns
Try committing to learn something new about the various identities listed below. Usually, learning more is as easy as a quick Google search! (Then try to incorporate that learning into the work we do in schools!)
Check out these contemporary Native Americans in honor of Native American Heritage Month, which is observed throughout November.
Up for a challenge?
Engage in the 21-Day Racial Equity Indigenous Challenge!
Did You Know?
Thanksgiving coincides with the National Day of Mourning observed by many in the Native American community and their allies. Since 1970, folks have gathered annually in Plymouth on this day. Learn more here.
For educators interested in incorporating Thanksgiving into their work in any way, it must be done in a socially responsible way. This article from Teaching Tolerance provides some helpful background. Here is the concluding paragraph: "Challenging the dominant and inaccurate narrative about Thanksgiving, providing students with a more balanced perspective of this oft-romanticized holiday, and refusing to dress students in feathered headbands are socially responsible actions. They’re actions that every teacher should undertake to benefit their students and the society their students will inherit." This can be done in age-appropriate ways with all students. Please reach out to a curriculum coordinator or department chair for guidance or support if necessary!
Staff Affinity Groups
This fall, we are offering a series of virtual staff affinity groups. The first four were held in the beginning of September and weekly meetings are scheduled throughout the fall into December. Feedback so far has been incredibly positive for the initial offerings, with staff sharing thoughts like, “I didn’t realize how much I wanted this until I was there,” and “A feeling of inclusion is important for a healthy perspective for ourselves and our students that [share these identities].” Our offerings this fall include the following identities:
Immigrants & Refugees
Employees of Color
White Educators for Antiracism
LGBTQIA+
Black/African-American
Asian/Asian-American
Hispanic/Latinx
Middle Eastern/Northern African
Biracial/Multiracial
Multiracial Families
Women in Leadership
Native American/Indigenous/FNP
Nontraditional Families
Multilingual
Jewish
Staff can check out dates and times here! (LPS login required.)
Curriculum
Elementary
This fall, the elementary schools are moving closer to formalized lessons on identity across the district. Curriculum leaders prepared this guidance for staff and will be gathering data that will inform the parallel work that has begun on a district-wide DEI curriculum for all students. This followed previous guidance we provided elementary staff about how to provide an opportunity for students to share their concerns about the challenges of 2020 in age-appropriate and supportive ways. Of course standardizing this work in this manner could not be possible without the many previous years of hard work from individual teachers and administrators!
Secondary
In August, a group of rising 9th grade LPS students approached school administration about their “Diversify Our Narrative” initiative. This diverse group of students prepared and presented a polished proposal to the Director of Equity & Student Supports and the middle school and high school English Department Chairs, advocating for more diversity in the literature curriculum. We are currently working with these students to support their initiative, including coordinating them as a team to attend the virtual SparkShare student leadership summit for high school students in Greater Boston. We will be sharing more of how their work is impacting curricular decisions soon.
Civil Rights
This fall, administrators in the district were further trained in the role civil rights plays in school discipline and conflict. Attorney Michael Joyce, a former public school teacher and former Civil Rights Attorney for the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) ran a training that not only defined the legal obligations and school district liability under state and federal law, but the best pragmatic approaches to conducting thorough, reliable, and comprehensive investigations, and implementing remedial measures designed to eliminate the bullying and/or harassment. Staff, students, and families are encouraged to take a look at the district page for reporting incidents to learn more about options when an incident occurs that impacts our ability to engage in a thriving learning environment with one another.
We are eager to continue our work in this area as we work to ensure that the Lexington Public Schools is a place where everyone believes that "we all belong"!
DEI Student Advisory Council
The LPS Office of Equity & Student Supports is creating a student advisory council (SAC) for the district's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The SAC will serve as a body of student leaders in grades 7-12 representing the interests of their school and peers to the Office of Equity & Student Supports. These student leaders will bring diverse perspectives on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and will help to shape district policies and programs around these matters. Interested students should complete this short Google Form by October 23, 2020.
Discipline
In an effort to continue to reduce exclusionary practices and suspensions and to maximize restorative practices and educational opportunities, building leaders are further exploring alternatives to exclusionary disciplinary practices. While the COVID-19 pandemic has placed created a unique environment in which to apply this thinking, it is important to note that these endeavors were being embraced by staff in pursuit of district goals well before the pandemic and will be in place long after.
As a district, we are committed to the following objectives when students make choices that negatively impact themselves and/or others in our community:
To minimize students’ time out of class
To promote learning and reflection
To repair and prevent harm to the community
To reduce the likelihood that the choice will be repeated
Significant research exists highlighting both the ineffectiveness of exclusionary practices like suspensions in reaching these goals and the efficacy of restorative practices in educational settings.
We will share more information as we further develop protocols and policies around this work; however, members of our community are welcome to reach out to a building administrator or the Office of Equity & Student Supports for more information or to learn how to help!
Resources
The following are recent articles, videos, and educational news items to check out as we engage in the lifelong journey of bringing greater equity to our community!
For Black educators when school systems aren’t doing enuf (Dena Simmons)
Celebrate Intersectional LGBTQ History This Month! (Teaching Tolerance)
Building Racial Equity Through Trauma-Responsive Discipline (Micere Keels)
Anti-Chinese Racism: How Coronavirus Racism Infected My High School (New York Times)
Coalition of students urge school leaders around Boston to address anti-Asian racism (Boston Globe)