MinutesDEICommittee03242021docx (3)

COLCHESTER BOARD OF EDUCATION
                             Colchester, CT



                DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE
                                    March 24, 2021 ~ 5:00 PM
                            Virtual Meeting via BoardDocs and Zoom

                                 MINUTES
MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Joanne Rose, Jessica Morozowich, Sue Hickey, Amy Domeika
ADMINISTRATION PRESENT: Superintendent Jeffrey Burt, Director of Pupil Services &
Special Education Kathleen Perry
OTHERS PRESENT: BOE Chair Mary Tomasi

   1. CALL TO ORDER
      Chair J. Rose called the meeting to order at 5:03PM.

   2. *ADDITIONS TO AGENDA
       None.

   3. PUBLIC COMMENT
      None.

   4. *APPROVAL OF MINUTES
      4.1 *Approval of Minutes from March 10, 2021 Meeting
          Motion by: J. Morozowich
          To approve the minutes of the March 10, 2021 DEI Committee Meeting
          Second by: S. Hickey
          Vote: Unanimous
          Roll call: A. Domeika, S. Hickey, J. Morozowich, J. Rose

   5. *PRIORITY DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS
      5.1 Discussion of Definitions, Mission Statement & Goal Development
          Chair Rose shared the Draft Goals of the committee as follows:
          1. All Colchester Public Schools believe that every student deserves to benefit from the
             promise of high expectations and standards for what they can learn and are able to
             accomplish.
          2. All Colchester Public schools support academic, social, emotional and physical health
             needs of students so they can thrive.
          3. All Colchester Public Schools build strong community partnerships and authentically
             engage parents.
          4. All Colchester Public Schools support “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” practices in
             staff hiring and retention.
          5. Colchester Public Schools seek to establish a culture of accountability.
   Suggested revisions were discussed.

   5.2 Communication Goals
       The Committee discussed strategies for a long-term communications plan. Chair Rose
       reported on other communications discussions that are happening with the BOE, and
       will update the Committee at the next meeting. Letters to the Editors of local newspapers
       will seek to inform the public of the work of the Committee and the BOE.

6. REPORTS
   6.1 Committee Update
   6.2 Training
       The Training subcommittee is sending a survey to Staff on March 31st, and two focus
       groups have taken place with students. Staff training for the subcommittee is upcoming.
   6.3 Curriculum
       The Curriculum subcommittee met briefly to discuss incorporating DEI curriculum into
       lessons.
   6.4 Hiring
       The Hiring subcommittee discussed diversity and inclusion in the hiring process. The
       group is joining Ed Rising to mentor teachers.

7. OLD BUSINESS
   7.1 Review of NCCJ Training Sessions
       Foundational work will begin in April. The Committee will be making training available
       to partners such as C3 and Youth Services if there are openings in the training sessions.
   7.2 Discussion on Training Materials
       Discussion ensued on the two TedTalks shared at the previous meeting:
       ● Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the single story that emerges from texts we read and
           the way it supports narratives among marginalized populations
       ● Mellody Hobson discusses Moving from Colorblindness to Colorbrave

   7.3 Recommendations on Future Training Materials
       Committee Chair Rose solicited recommendations on future training materials. Each
       member of the Committee shared favorite authors, TV segments, etc.

8. NEW BUSINESS
   None.

9. ESTABLISH NEXT MEETING PRIORITIES
   1. Discussion on training materials and recommendations
   2. Participate in training and then review goals of the Committee
   3. Consider inclusion of District partners

10. PUBLIC COMMENT
    None.

11. ADJOURNMENT
   The meeting adjourned at 6:29PM.