Dear Members of the School Committee and Superintendent Botelho,

It is 2022 and the Sharon Public Schools must protect and support all of our students. Anti-Black racism, homophobia, transphobia, antisemitism, anti-Asian hate, and Islamophobia are in our schools. Families are struggling, staff are overwhelmed, and building administrators are in desperate need of centralized support in dealing with bias incidents and structural inequities that negatively impact educational outcomes. Our BIPOC and LGBTQA+ students and families have clearly communicated that they are experiencing harm; we cannot allow this to continue.

We, the undersigned, call on you to create the budgeted position of Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to work directly with the Superintendent’s Office and school leadership. In July 2020, the Sharon School Committee signed a resolution to “guarantee that racist practices are eradicated, and diversity, equity and inclusion is embedded and practiced for our students, families, faculty and staff....” The time is now. Let’s keep our promise.

Teachers, staff, parents and students in each of our schools are doing what they can to make our diverse town inclusive and equitable. They need centralized support and a unified plan. Let’s back their efforts by creating this position and hiring an expert to lead the district in a strategic and comprehensive way so that all of our children can feel that they belong and achieve academic excellence.

Thank you for doing what is necessary to make this position a reality in 2022. A strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion will benefit all our children, and the community at large.

[SIGNERS PLEASE NOTE: The request for donations you will receive is coming from the iPetitions app, not from SREA or SIA!!]