The Hamden Board of Education presented the solutions and progress for enhancing diversity and equity in Hamden Public schools at their meeting on Oct. 26.
Recent “conflating issues” from behavioral concerns, food insecurity, and racial, gender and socioeconomic equity in schools, influenced several initiatives to combat them.
“All kids equally need to have the same access,” said Hamden Public Schools Chief Operating Officer, Tom Ariola.
Making history as the first school in Connecticut, Hamden High School is the only school to be named a “No Place for Hate” school because of the district’s equitable and diverse curriculum for K-12. This initiative resulted in the development of Hamden’s definition for equity, “Be the change”, which is influenced by Mahatma Gandhi.
The board shared the district’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity with several newly adopted terms and programs. Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (DEAI), and development of school based equity teams, plans for diversity in leadership positions and gender inclusive curriculum by the LGBTQ+ Task Force.
Programs like the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) Teacher Residency Program to recruit and retain teachers of color is one of the investments the board. is making with a $50,000 budget.
“When we look at priorities we need to look at how we’re supporting our children in the classroom,” said Assistant Superintendent of Schools Chris Melillo. “If we don’t meet the needs of our children, the learning is not going to happen and you’ll see behavior ramp up and spike.”
Faced with a rise in student fights and behavioral concerns, Melillo assures “we are dealing with it as a district, as a mental health issue” and acknowledges the transition students are experiencing from almost two years of online learning at home to going back to school.
“Quite frankly, not everyone’s quarantine was done in a safe environment,”Melillo said. “And not everyone’s homelife is safe or supportive.”
Melillo’s initiative for “pulling back” on the curriculum and focusing on the environment, unveils additional needs for students and faculty.
“We’re now adapting, and we’ve been adapting since we’ve been in school on how to use these funds in the best way possible,” Melillo said
With $9.5 million in their budget and yearly grants, Melillo and members plan to commit to programs, resources and workshops for students and faculty on “environment success,” emotional support systems, diversity, and a technology department.
“Our teachers are continuing to work harder ever than they have before,” said Equity Committee Member and Interim Director of the Honors Program at Quinnipiac University Melissa Kaplan.
As students’ demands required additional support or resources during the pandemic, BOE members observed the additional roles for teachers from tech support to social work.
“There’s a need out there in our school district for supporting our teachers,”Melillo said. “I could not even imagine the need that we have. We also need to understand this is not a one year fix. This is something that is going to be long term and we need to commit.”
As an initiative to start gender inclusivity within the community, the task force commits to ensure LGBTQ+ students and staff of all backgrounds are safe and valued. To provide education, the board partnered with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and will start professional development with teachers on Nov. 1.
“[I] don’t want anybody misgendered,” said Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Administration Gary Highsmith. “We treat it like it’s a very important issue, and we behave like it’s a very important issue.”
To enforce a gender-inclusive curriculum, teacher’s contracts in Hamden Public schools this year had gender-inclusive language. Training will also be required for high school teachers on pronoun usage, and student and faculty programs “change from within” to ensure equitable practices and “choose love” to ensure self-care will be applied.
“I’m proud, but I’m not satisfied with the work,” Highsmith said.
Fourteen teachers of color were hired this year, a 28% increase for 2020-2021. Highsmith hopes to find more candidates to fulfill positions. Currently they are enrolled in Educators Rising and Teach Connecticut, and partner with Quinnipiac University to recruit students as teachers through a program.
“We have specialists, but very little diversity,” Highsmith said.
BOE members aspire for “continuous improvement” by enforcing equitable practices through training, programs for social and emotional learning; and community eligible programs to provide more students accessibility in resources, to achieve food security in more schools .
For more information on the BOE’s equity work in Hamden schools, click here.