The Board of Education listened to public concerns about the potential disbandment of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Subcommittee, as well as strategic plans for the elementary schools and Reed Intermediate School, during its October 15 meeting.

Three people spoke during the first public participation segment of the meeting, each expressing their own concerns regarding either diversity issues or racial harassment within Newtown Public Schools.

The first participant, Laura Main, who said she was an educator with over 30 years of experience, said she spoke on her concerns regarding the lack of teacher diversity within the district. Having looked at data, Main said the percentage of teachers of color in the district has not seemingly changed over the last decade, while the percentage of students of color has dramatically risen since her two children went through the school system.

Main shared feedback from the state about the Board’s Increasing Educator Diversity (IED) Plan, and noted several areas that still concern her based on the new plan that was written.

“I hope that the Board will carefully consider this feedback as they look to make sure that Newtown is successful in this round in getting state approval for their plan,” Main said.

Carrie Grummons, a member of Newtown Allies for Change, took the floor next. Less than two months into the school year, she says she has already heard of four separate incidents of racially charged language in Reed’s fifth grade, and also witnessed students mocking people based on their gender or learning disabilities.

She said she is thankful for the leadership at Reed, as RIS Principal Matt Correia and RIS Assistant Principal Jenna Connors were quick to respond. She said she also knows, however, that this is not the case for every school. Grummons shared stories from friends whose children have experienced continuous racially charged language.

One friend asked Grummons to share her story with the Board on her behalf. Grummons said her friend’s child, a student in the Newtown Public Schools system, is called the n-word daily. People touch and make fun of his hair, and call him a monkey. According to her friend, it has gotten to the point where he still associates with these people because “if he were to hang out only with kids who didn’t treat him this way, he would have no one to hang out with.”

“These are stories from our town, from kids in Newtown schools. When these parents and these teachers have complained, they’re told that it’s not necessarily racism. I don’t think that our teachers don’t care. I don’t think you guys don’t care. I just believe that our teachers are not equipped to handle it,” Grummons said.

She continued by saying teachers are eager for guidance from higher up, but are frustrated since it “hasn’t happened yet.”

“It is worrisome that the Board is considering disbanding their DEI Subcommittee without putting into place actual training for their staff and accountability. Our school of non-white students is growing, while our non-white teaching staff has shrunk. We need to be more proactive,” Grummons said.

Danielle Lozer closed public participation, expressing her concern over the potential dissolution of the DEI Subcommittee. She said she believes dismantling it would be a step in the wrong direction, and that it would undo whatever progress has been made in protecting diversity and inclusion within the district. Lozer called for the subcommittee to be strengthened and have leadership willing to take accountability and prevent these incidents from occurring.

“If we remove the subcommittee now, what kind of message are we sending to our community and more importantly, to our students? What kind of message are you sending to my children?” Lozer asked.

BOE member Chris Gilson, who is also chair of the DEI Subcommittee, later said he heard the public comments and says that the subcommittee has not been doing a good enough job.

“It’s not enough just to have a committee that says that we have a DEI Committee in Newtown. We actually have to do something,” Gilson said.

He said the subcommittee “hasn’t been very effective,” and that it has mostly been overseeing things and listening to updates from Nixon & Co, a group that provides consulting services and helps promote a stronger sense of a diverse, human-centered culture and organizational purpose.

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“So when people say that the DEI Subcommittee is going to be dissolved and it’s going to be a loss for the community, it won’t be a loss at all because we haven’t been doing anything,” Gilson said.

The subcommittee will be reconvening in December and working to do things differently, according to Gilson. Specifically, he said he wants to work on what they will actually do instead of just talking. Gilson added he hopes they can do better than they have done and “not just have a committee on paper, but listen more to the community and ... make it more effective.”

Listening To Plans

Hawley Elementary School Principal Chris Moretti, Head O’Meadow Principal Timothy Napolitano, Sandy Hook Elementary School Principal Kathy Gombos, and Middle Gate Elementary School Principal Chris Geissler each resented their school’s Strategic Plan to the BOE. Correia then presented Reed’s Strategic Plan afterwards.

According to Superintendent of Schools Anne Uberti, these plans “represent an overview of the work that is happening in their schools this year, along with identified targets.”

They act as a vehicle of transparency to both the BOE and the community, she added, by highlighting active steps focused on improving the learning environment, spur academic achievement, and create welcoming and supporting communities.

She continued by saying that all of the plans are relatively aligned with each other, but that there are differences, mostly between the elementary schools. This is because each Strategic Plan and its respective goals are based on past performance and on differences in the areas of need.

Gombos later returned to present the district’s IED Plan alongside Human Resources Director Suzanne D’Eramo. The state has required that all districts submit an IED plan, according to Uberti. The IED Plan has three areas of focus: a district’s recruitment efforts, its hiring and selection processes, and its retention efforts.

Uberti said the Board previously submitted its plan to the State Department of Education in March, and received a “conditional approval of the plan with significant feedback.” She said they, recognizing the importance of the project, went back and submitted proposed revisions on the plan.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.