Dear Students, Parents, Alumni/ae, Faculty, and Staff, In the past few weeks, the Board has convened a series of meetings with students, alumni/ae, faculty, and the administration to better understand the depths of the issues at hand and to begin to formulate strategies to deal with the pain that Commonwealth's shortcomings around equity and inclusion have created. We have heard many voices in our efforts to better understand how we may create a community that manifests to all a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. Two recent letters from alumni/ae and students to the Board, one with an accompanying petition for change, make it clear that the school still has a great deal of work to do to create an environment where all feel valued and welcomed. We thank the members of our community who have come forward, shared perspectives, and suggested areas for action. There is no place for racism nor any form of exclusive behavior at Commonwealth School. The fact that a core constituency of our school feels excluded, unwelcomed, alienated, invalidated, subverted, or silenced in any way is clearly unacceptable and is against the very foundations of the school. As Trustees, our most important duty is to uphold the mission of the school. That mission came out of our founder's vision to provide a highly academic program in an urban school for students from a wide range of racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. Although Mr. Merrill had some success in pursuing his vision, he also recognized how difficult the work of racial equity and inclusion was, as noted in his book The Walled Garden. After he stepped down as Head of School, the school continued the work toward his mission with some success but never quite lived up to the dreams of our founder. We must and will push beyond good intentions to meaningful action. As we acknowledge the need for change, we admit that the school's current leadership and this Board do not have all the answers. It is our priority as the Board to enable the process of transformation and to provide the resources necessary to resolve the many issues we face. Real change for something this deep and this important will take time. It will be an ongoing process requiring strategic commitment. We have already begun to outline key initiatives and actions, which include: - Committing to an ongoing, open dialogue on issues of race, diversity, and inclusion.
- Appointing a leadership group, consisting of two trustees and two faculty/administration members to lead this change: John Dowd (Board Treasurer), Janique Parrott-Gaffney '04 (Alumna and Trustee), Mónica Schilder (Spanish Teacher and DEI leader), and Sophia Meas (Director of College Counseling). Why and how were they selected? The Board Executive Committee, two leaders from the Diversity Committee, and the Head and Assistant Head chose each of them because of their drive and commitment to carry this work through. This group will engage with individuals and existing groups, including the student and alumni/ae groups that have formed, our existing Diversity Committee, the recently created faculty task force, and our leadership behind Dive In (our summer program for rising eighth graders from diverse backgrounds). It will build on existing ideas and proposals, including those documented recently in the petition by student and alumni/ae groups.
- Engaging outside expertise in the areas of diversity and inclusivity. There are professional resources we can leverage so that we may learn from the experience of others and avoid missteps.
- Holding a series of town hall meetings with the Commonwealth community so that we can continue to listen and learn. We must ensure open and inclusive communication on this topic. The objective of these meetings will be to better inform us around the challenges to be overcome, to learn of potential solutions, and to help us work collaboratively to advance the practice of real inclusivity at the school.
- Ensuring that our existing search process results in the selection of a Head of School who believes in our mission and is committed to and can further lead our initiatives around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Providing recurring training for the Board, faculty, administration, and students on anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion.
- Hiring an experienced Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, who will report to the Head of School and will present regularly to the Board regarding our progress on such initiatives.
- Continuing the ongoing work of assessing and modifying our curriculum and learning environment to better educate our students about anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion, while also creating a more inclusive community through those actions.
- Accelerating our work on increasing the racial diversity of the faculty, staff, and Board of Commonwealth School. A more diverse faculty enhances our entire community and can make students of color feel more welcome and a higher sense of belonging. We ultimately believe this will foster a more diverse student body.
- Continuing our commitments to Dive In, Homework Project, and the raising of funds for financial aid and student scholarships.
These steps are the beginning of a long journey towards a more inclusive future, which will make our school and the education it provides stronger and more welcoming. We all are stakeholders in Commonwealth's success, and we have an opportunity and the commitment to bring our community together to make Mr. Merrill's vision a reality. The Board of Trustees of Commonwealth School is making these commitments, Therese A. Hendricks Chair © Commonwealth School, Inc.
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