To the Editor:

I was happy to see so many letters to the editor in last week’s issue voicing support of our school district’s efforts to include Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as part of the curriculum.

On the other side of that coin, it was discouraging to read letters against these efforts in the edition previous to that. I’m perplexed that some parents in our community don’t see DEI as a healthy thing.

We don’t have to be a diverse community to find value in teaching our children about diversity and fostering equity and inclusion in their thinking. It’s not “brainwashing,” and it’s not geared toward making kids feel bad about themselves.

My view is that DEI is simply there to ensure that our children are informed, thoughtful, and have opportunities to develop insight going forward. It is one of the most admirable forms of critical thinking.

To counter those few who are convinced that the majority of people in our community don’t support DEI, I believe that the majority of people in Newtown do support DEI. I am one of those who fully supports it.

David Deschenes

Newtown