DEI Overview - Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District

DEI Work within the District

2022 - 2023 SCHOOL YEAR

DEI Training

Adopted by School Committee on December 14th, 2022
The Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District will remain steadfast in its pursuit of creating and maintaining an environment where all community members are able to be their full and most authentic selves and feel a profound sense of belonging. The district commits itself to lifelong learning, recognizing that true diversity and equity work is continuous and requires an ongoing commitment of our professional and personal development, resources, and time.

Made available September 2022 for students and caregivers as an additional resource for submitting discrimination reports with the opportunity to submit reports annonymously.
Student, Caregiver, and Administrative focus groups conducted to establish a protocol that follows any discrimination report submitted.**

PTO DEI Liaison Group

DEI Liaison role description established: The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair(s) is responsible for providing the (name of board) with an overall diversity, equity, and inclusion lens for ALL programming and fundraising coming out of the group. In addition to current (ongoing, annual) events/fundraisers/programs The Chair(s) will work with their board to cultivate events and resources that are inclusive of all students, families/caregivers, and staff in their school and support overall DEI initiatives happening in the district. The Chair(s) will also attend monthly PTO DEI meetings with the Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for BRRSD in order to cross-collaborate and share updates/feedback with the group and may also participate in the district-wide DEI Advisory Committee.
Monthly meetings with parents who serve as DEI Liaisons on their student(s)'s PTO and the Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to share ideas and offer support

BRRSD DEI Advisory Committee

The Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District’s (BRRSD) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee is comprised of BRRSD students, faculty, staff, administrators, families/caregivers, and community members. The purpose of the Committee is to provide valuable information that helps influence district leaders in the decision-making process for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the district. In this space, members are able to share their personal experiences and opinions and engage in meaningful dialogue about how we continue and move this work in a direction that benefits all Bridgewater-Raynham students, families/caregivers, staff/faculty, and administration.
Monthly meetings to discuss and receive input on ongoing initiatives like Equity Statement, Discrimination Protocol, website updates, and more.

2021 - 2022 SCHOOL YEAR

Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Established Relationships with BRRSD Stakeholders

Initial meeting with building administrators to inquire about building and student needs as it pertains to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Set time to meet and work with each building's staff at the start of the school year to establish relationships with students and staff for continued work throughout the year
Maintained accessibility throughout the school year for questions, concerns, and resources
Met with and maintained relationships with community partners and organizations

Creation of Internal DEI Database

Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion cultivated resources that are readily accessible to BRRSD staff which include book lists, lesson plans, articles, websites, and resources for each grade level and personal development
The database is added to regularly and features over 100 DEI resources

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Monthly Newsletter Established

Monthly DEI information for the BRRSD school community and Bridgewater-Raynham community members to receive up-to-date diversity, equity, and inclusion information and resources each month
High school student leader works alongside the district's Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to create content for the newsletter
Newsletters are sent via email with translated documents embedded in PDF and sent via DEI Monthly Listserv, BRRSD staff email blasts, and Superintendent's Friday blast

Teacher Diversification Professional Learning Community (PLC) - DESE partnered with TNTP

Focuses on the development and refinement of district talent diversification strategies with the goal of ensuring more equitable outcomes for students
Our district's stance on equity and DEI work moving forward has been clearly stated in all job listings by including our stance on equity and an assessment question to the application process
All interviews will now require search committees to ask DEI questions to assess inclusive practices and cultural proficiency

PTO DEI Liaison Group

Monthly meetings with parents who serve as DEI Liaisons on their student(s)'s PTO and the Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to share ideas and offer support

Reconfiguration of DEI Committee

DEI Committee was renamed the DEI Advisory Committee
The Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District’s (BRRSD) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee is comprised of BRRSD students, faculty, staff, administrators, families/caregivers, and community members. The purpose of the Committee is to provide valuable information that helps influence district leaders in the decision-making process for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the district. In this space, members are able to share their personal experiences and opinions and engage in meaningful dialogue about how we continue and move this work in a direction that benefits all Bridgewater-Raynham students, families/caregivers, staff/faculty, and administration.
Four Sub-Committees were formed and are led by community members: Curriculum, Staff & Professional Development, Family & Community Engagement, and Student Experiences

2020 - 2021 SCHOOL YEAR

Implementation of the Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Position

Process included:

Initial screening from Ryan Powers, Assistant Superintendent, and Kristine Richards, Coordinator of Teacher and Learning
First-round interview with Central Office Administrative Staff
Second-round interview with stakeholders including administrators and BRRSD parents
Third-round interview with Derek Swenson, Superintendent, and Ryan Powers, Assistant Superintendent

Kayla Berrios, M.Ed was hired as the new Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Bridgewater-Raynham School District!

Book Groups

Administrator book group (led by L&P) to discuss Robin D’Angelo’sWhite Fragility over four sessions in October/November
Educator book group (led by Kristine Richards) to read White Fragility with approximately 60 staff members

High School Work

Expression Sessions group was formed to bring administrators, staff, and students together to share experiences and plan for DEI events at the High School
Group training session with Dr. Chris Vick (½ day)

DEI Committee

Establishment of DEI Chair Positions on PTO

Presentations