A Focus on Equality

Each school year we focus on one of the core Quaker testimonies, or SPICES, and in 202021, we are holding up Equality. Over the summer, we began our discussions analyzing our diversity, equity, and inclusion intiatives and how to expand those efforts.

This work couldn’t feel more timely as calls for social justice in society have grown louder in the wake of the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, as well as worldwide protests against systemic racism. Closer to home, a social media account was created for students of Delaware independent schools to anonymously share about their experiences in a safe space. Many of the posts were difficult to read, but they all supported a theme that there is much work for us to do as a school. And though we are focusing on Equality for the year, these efforts should and will be part of the fabric of our school, and will be ongoing.

Here are some of our initial efforts, with the understanding that these will lead to more action items and new processes:

Engaging Brown-Gary Associates (BGA) to conduct an Immersive Climate Assessment of our school. As stated on their website: “We are a resource to schools, corporations, and non-profit organizations that are committed to building inclusive learning and work environments. We conduct immersive climate assessments, professional development workshops and consulting services that promote cross-cultural understanding, strengthen communication and build a trusting community.”

BGA will do an immersive culture assessment of our community and stakeholders, as well as review feedback already provided to the School. Topics in the Assessment will include:

Philosophic commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) • Leadership for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Board and Administrative Leadership); including new roles at the school • Faculty climate for inclusion, mindful of ongoing and future professional development opportunities • Recruiting and retaining faculty diversity; administrative and facilities staff Diversity and inclusion of the student body Student affinity Socio-economic class and privilege Gender and identity Cognitive and physical ability Community service and service learning Parent education

We expect that the assessment will identify and prioritize both short-term and long-term needs for the School and the students we serve. Additionally, BGA will lead our faculty and staff in a workshop on implicit bias awareness.

Conducting Zoom sessions with students, parents, and alumni.

Though they will have a chance to talk about their experiences in immersive climate assessments, we wanted the opportunity for our community to talk right away. The sessions were conducted by outside facilitators Anita Foeman PhD and Nate Terrell LCSW (parents of Chelsea Terrell ’12) to ensure a safe space for candid discussion. The conversations yielded several themes and ideas, and participants appreciated the opportunity to come together virtually.

Instituting an Incidents of Bias Report to report incidents that take place at Wilmington Friends School or that involve the WFS community, with the goal of consistency in how we address these incidents as an institution. Incidents of bias include acts related to an individual’s or groups’ identity. That identity includes, but is not limited to ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc. Incidents can be both intentional and unintentional.

Engaging our Black alumni. Another initiative over the summer was to gain feedback from our Black community members regarding their experiences at school. WFS staff met with our Black Alumni Advisory Committee to talk about the best way to gain this insight and developed a survey. The group also suggested other ways to learn from and engage our Black community members. Their input has been beyond valuable, and we are grateful for the direction the group provided.

We will be back in touch with developments as the year progresses and welcome any feedback.