Dear Members of the School Committee and Superintendent Botelho,
It is 2023 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 full-time 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 one more year.
We, the undersigned, call on you to budget for a full-time position of Executive Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging who will develop a district-wide strategic plan working directly with the Superintendent’s Office and school leadership.
We are also writing in support of former School Committee Chair, Tanya Lewis’ five point plan shared at the January 25, 2023 School Committee meeting:
- Hire a full-time DEI director
- Hire more diverse teachers and administrators, including the current principal search
- Create a standing item on the School Committee agenda where the Superintendent accounts for racial incidents in the schools
- Develop disciplinary and restorative actions to drive accountability
- Increase training for teachers and staff around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
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 office and full-time position 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 full-time position a reality in 2024. A strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging will benefit all of our children, and the community at large.
Updates
February 16, 2023
The growth of this petition shows a clear consensus regarding the necessity of a dedicated leader for our district. This momentum confirms that our community prioritizes an environment where every student feels safe and represented.
12 Comments
We desperately need to create a full time DEIC position in the town. I totally support creating such a position for the current and future academic years
Accountability for diversity, diverse perspectives and learnings are icrucial to the education of our children.
While I know there are always a number of important areas the budget needs to cover, I do believe this is essential at this point in time and we cannot wait any longer. That is why I am adding my name to this list.
The time is more than past to have this position fully funded to deal directly with discrimination and harm in our schools.
We can't afford not to have someone coordinating our SEL curriculum and dealing with the rising tide of problematic behaviors in our schools!
This is important to the success of all Sharon students
Fully support
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Dear Members of the School Committee and Superintendent Botelho,
It is 2023 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 full-time 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 one more year.
We, the undersigned, call on you to budget for a full-time position of Executive Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging who will develop a district-wide strategic plan working directly with the Superintendent’s Office and school leadership.
We are also writing in support of former School Committee Chair, Tanya Lewis’ five point plan shared at the January 25, 2023 School Committee meeting:
- Hire a full-time DEI director
- Hire more diverse teachers and administrators, including the current principal search
- Create a standing item on the School Committee agenda where the Superintendent accounts for racial incidents in the schools
- Develop disciplinary and restorative actions to drive accountability
- Increase training for teachers and staff around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
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 office and full-time position 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 full-time position a reality in 2024. A strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging will benefit all of our children, and the community at large.
Updates
February 16, 2023
The growth of this petition shows a clear consensus regarding the necessity of a dedicated leader for our district. This momentum confirms that our community prioritizes an environment where every student feels safe and represented.
12 Comments
our kids deserve to feel safe in every classroom. we need a dedicated person in charge who can actually handle these issues properly because right now it feels like nothing is changing.
We desperately need to create a full time DEIC position in the town. I totally support creating such a position for the current and future academic years
Accountability for diversity, diverse perspectives and learnings are icrucial to the education of our children.
While I know there are always a number of important areas the budget needs to cover, I do believe this is essential at this point in time and we cannot wait any longer. That is why I am adding my name to this list.
The time is more than past to have this position fully funded to deal directly with discrimination and harm in our schools.
We can't afford not to have someone coordinating our SEL curriculum and dealing with the rising tide of problematic behaviors in our schools!
This is important to the success of all Sharon students
Fully support
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our kids deserve to feel safe in every classroom. we need a dedicated person in charge who can actually handle these issues properly because right now it feels like nothing is changing.