October 9, 2020
Dear LREI Community,
As part of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan that I shared with you this summer we committed to writing and instituting an anti-bias policy. The goals of this policy are to clearly state LREI’s position regarding biased and racist behavior and to provide a set of procedures for community members and the institution to follow in the event that a member or members of the community feel(s) as if they have been treated in a biased or racist manner by another member of the community. This policy covers interactions that involve at least one adult.
The process that led to this policy began a little over a year ago in a conversation with members of the parent affinity group, the Parents of Children of Color (PoCoC.) The then co-chairs and a few members of the committee met with the chair of LREI’s Board of Trustees, Jim Harris, and me to suggest and describe the policy they had in mind. We worked together on and off from June of 2019 until we left for LREI@home last March and then fairly steadily over the course of the late spring and summer. The dedicated group of parents that led this process has done a great service for the LREI community, working with wisdom, conviction, and care.
The current policy, our Interim Anti-Discrimination Statement and Policy, is posted on LREI.org and will also be added to the resource pages on Connect. Over the next few weeks, I will continue to solicit feedback from groups of families, students, and faculty/staff. A final draft of the policy will be presented to LREI’s Board of Trustees for approval this fall. Once approved we will organize meetings to discuss the policy and to make sure that there is a general understanding of its goals and procedures.
One of the pillars of the policy is the use of an independent investigator. The person we have engaged to fill this role for this school year has already brought a great deal to the discussion and her expertise will continue to inform and improve our processes.
Admirably, beginning last year and continuing over the summer and this fall, a group of high school students began creating a similar policy and set of procedures to guide the response to incidents of racism and bias between high school students. We will, of course, share this policy once it is completed. I am proud of these students as you will be when you see the thoughtful and supportive policy they are creating.
I am grateful to the community members who created our policy which will surely make us a stronger, more equitable community. Mostly, I hope that this policy and our adherence to it, will serve to make all families, all students, all members of the faculty and staff feel supported, safe, and valued as members of the LREI community. There remains, as we have written, much work to do. This is a step, an important step, but certainly not the only step. I will continue to share our progress with you.
Be well,
