Actions for Equity

• Germantown Friends School is dedicated to reaching that of God in every person. Our mission is to seek truth, challenge the intellect, honor differences, embrace the city, and nurture each student’s mind, body and spirit.  
• This Mission Statement is an expression of our belief in the divine in each person. 
• Our Mission Statement does not allow us to rest. The challenge is continual, and we are called to approach antiracism in new ways.
• We are clear and unequivocal that Black Lives Matter to all of us at GFS.  We fully affirm the value of Black humanity. We are in solidarity with the Black community at GFS and in our nation. 
• We are committed to working holistically and collaboratively toward sustaining anti-racism efforts. We are committed to translating our Quaker values into our school culture, pedagogy and curriculum, school systems and processes, and individual interactions with students. 
• We will build on our anti-racism, anti-bias and inclusion/belonging work, identify areas of growth and strategic recommendations on a timeline for immediate and short term actions as well as longer term initiatives.
• The proposed action items, guided by our testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equity, and Stewardship, are designed to be systemic and sustainable. We intend to increase anti-racism education and intercultural proficiencies among all members of our community: students, faculty, staff, parents and caregivers, and the School Committee.

Students, faculty and staff of African descent, indeed all students, faculty, and staff belonging to minoritized identity groups--must find themselves in a respectful and loving community. Allies and accomplices must be practiced in showing love and admiration for one another, too.

1. Reporting, Allyship, and Accountability
   • Establish a student/faculty team that includes a representative of DEI Office to review and adjudicate reports of student-to-student racially based bias, discrimination, and microaggressions  (fall 2020)
   • Establish and share clear processes, consequences, and protocols for any individual found to have committed bias or discriminatory acts (fall 2020)
   • Establish and share a clear process for reporting incidents of racially based bias, discrimination, and microaggressions (fall 2020)
   • Review HR processes and protocols to ensure that the consequences of committing racially discriminatory or biased acts towards colleagues or students are clear and consistent; communicate them to faculty and staff at the start of the coming school year
   • Ensure that all members of the community understand that racist remarks, actions, and behaviors will not be tolerated.
2. Policy Review
   • Audit all handbooks and policies to ensure anti-racism and anti-discrimination statements are clear and complete (summer 2020)
   • In the case of teaching primary textual sources with the “N” word, students and teachers will not read that word aloud. Further, in advance of teaching said text, teachers will consult with the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and others, as appropriate, to consider best practices.
   • All GFS employees must read and acknowledge anti-racism and cultural proficiency commitment statements 

We believe that all members of our community have a unique responsibility to learn about bias and racism in a manner that is not merely academic but creates opportunities for personal reflection and self-examination and cultivates genuine investment in creating a welcoming, inclusive school. Our work will be differentiated as appropriate. It will also be sustained, annual, and required for all. Supporting children in diversity work across the ages 2-18 looks different than the work supporting adults. Further, the work for white people is often distinct from the work for people of color. Working together inter-racially is also vital to building a healthy trusting community. Therefore, while all members of the School Committee, faculty/staff, and students will be required to engage in anti-racist education, not all programming will be the same.

1. Faculty and Staff
   • All faculty and staff must complete professional development in the area of race every two years. This is outside of internal professional development and the annual Multicultural Resource Center at ADVIS workshop
   • All members of Administration will participate in a yearlong Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) program during the 2020-21 academic year, then required to renew their antiracist education annually; new members of Administration will be required to join SEED or a similar program in the future
   • Continue cultural competency workshops launched in the fall of 2019 through the yearlong mentoring program for new faculty/staff
   • Include “Looking Deeper at Race” as part of onboarding and orientation for new faculty/staff
   • Expand access to Intergroup Dialogue, Critical Friends Groups, and Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) training for all faculty and staff
      
2. Students
   • Use Community Time in MS and US for Implicit Bias and Microaggression education
   • Provide additional co-curricular equity and inclusion opportunities for all students, such as People of Color Student Diversity Leadership Conference, Mid Atlantic Regional Diversity Conference, Unity Days)
   • Required Dialogue/Unity Days/Teach-in days in LS, MS, and US
      
3. School Committee (our Board)
   • Participate in annual anti-racist training (all members)
   • Make training part of onboarding new members
      
4. Parents/Caregivers and Community/Neighbors
   • Introduce plan for training opportunities in antiracism at Parents Association orientation (fall 2020)
   • Provide SEED training for parents 
   • Develop a Community and Family/Caregiver Anti-Racist and Quaker Education Program  
   • Develop Community and Family/Caregiver opportunities for Intergroup Dialogue

• LS Anti-Racism Curriculum (ARC) and racial affinity group conversations will be expanded to 3rd and 4th graders (modeled after the 5th grade pilot)
• New required African American History course will be launched in fall 2021; For the intervening 20-21 school year, our African American History spring elective will be offered.
• Continued curriculum review and revisions to bolster anti-racism and DEI content across all divisions, building off survey of DEI at GFS in the spring of 2018
• Launch MS Anti-Racist Curriculum (developmentally aligned) 
• Middle School Diversity Committee (MSDC); establish MS Junior Diversity Ambassadors program
• Develop robust anti-racism/DEI co-curricular education in MS & US
• Continued piloting Grading for Equity standards (with substantive professional development in 2020-21, first policy modifications to be instituted in fall 2021)
• Require evaluators to comment on teacher work in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion. At present, the DEI component of our Teacher Evaluation Plan, along with other aspects of non-classroom, community-life based points for evaluation, are not required points of commentary.

• Review and remake public and classroom spaces, starting with the Front Hall, to reflect, represent, and celebrate Black life and inclusiveness throughout campus
• Continue to patronize Minority-Owned Businesses: contractors, consultants and vendors
• Support building solidarity across anti-racist identity groups at GFS
• Anti-racism/cultural competency training for student leaders - all diversity ambassadors; student leaders; student council (spring 2021)
• Students added to Diversity Committees as participants in decision making about DEI programming and follow up on anti-racism actions as outlined below 
• Reengage Faculty and Staff Climate Advisory Group to the Head of School
• Establish student advisory groups to partner with Head of School, DEI Office, and Communications (invite leaders of affinity groups and Student Council)

1. Recruitment and Retention of Faculty and Staff of Color
   • GFS-hosted Diversity Recruitment Fair (now in year 3; expand and include specific recruitment of teacher candidates and educators at HBCUs)
   • Continue to use top recruitment firms to support sourcing of diverse candidates; attend diversity recruitment fairs outside of GFS
   • Establish a need-based fund to support the pursuit of continuing education and advanced degrees, prioritizing issues of racial justice and inclusion
   • Continued and intentional pathway for people of color to leadership positions
      
2. Recruitment and Retention of Students of Color

• Provide support for the Director of Diversity Recruitment to enhance our relationships and community partnerships that yield increased admission for Black and otherwise diverse applicant pool (goals forthcoming)
• Review Admissions goals, marketing efforts, and measurements of success to pursue enrollment of Black students and those of African descent
• Increase financial aid budget (tuition and non-tuition support) to improve socio-economic diversity, thereby supporting incoming Black students for whom tuition is a barrier to entry
• As possible, expand and formalize Alumni of Color mentor program; providing training for mentors and expanding the number of mentors
• Review and strengthen retention practices, with a focus on Black students, using exit interviews and input from current students/families.

1. Recruitment and Retention of School Committee Members
   • Seek diverse candidates, including but not limited to People of Color
   • Seek representation of African Americans serving as co-opted members on committees and working groups of School Committee

1. Continue to hold Community Conversations (open listening sessions) throughout the year with students, parents, faculty/staff, alumni, and neighbors
2. Share annual DEI report that will be distributed to the GFS community, including School Committee, faculty and staff, parents, students, and alumni

Please see the full update here. 

Please see reflections from the school from January 9, 2021. 

At Germantown Friends School, we believe that every young person deserves access to an inclusive athletics program and community, yet we know that that is not always the case locally, within our country, and across the world. We share this belief and hope with our peer schools within the Friends Schools League (FSL): Abington Friends, Academy of New Church, Friends' Central, Friends Select, George School, Moorestown Friends, Shipley School, and Westtown. Today, I am pleased to share a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan created as a collaboration between these nine partners.

 

Over the summer, the FSL Equity and Anti-Racism Steering Committee came together and identified goals to bring about equity, justice, inclusion, and anti-racism within athletics. This fall, subcommittees comprised of passionate and thoughtful league athletic administrators and DEI experts identified action items and began working on bringing this work to life, even during this unusual year for sports.

Committee details are included in this memo from the league, with highlights including:

· Student Engagement: Charged with amplifying the voices of student-athletes across FSL member schools to help inform Athletic Directors with initiatives that are representative of the students’ experiences.

· Coaches Coalition: A space to connect coaches of color with one another while seeking ways to support growth and future opportunities.

· Internship Programs for Increasing Access and Opportunity:
A group that will create partnerships with surrounding colleges and universities to increase opportunities for equitable representation of People of Color in decision making positions in the field of sport.
 

· Bias Incident Reporting and Accountability: Help provide clear protocols for a transparent process for reporting and responding to incidents of bias that occur within the FSL.

 

· Professional Development: Build opportunities for the development of student-athletes, coaches and administrators within the FSL that reinforce the mission of the league while promoting continued growth and education in areas of Equity and Inclusion.

I am grateful for leadership from our GFS team members Associate Athletic Director Mike Lintulahti and Assistant Athletic Director Dee Thomas-Palmer. Their collaboration and planning has been critical in building an enduring framework from which our league can expand our impact to the thousands of students, hundreds of coaches, and wider communities that play, practice, and compete in our care. Thank you also to Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Dr. Angela Campbell for her guidance, expertise, and support as we build upon our school’s Actions for Equity plan in the Athletics space.

We have a lot of work to do in our shared goals and responsibility as an anti-racist league, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all student-athletes, coaches, officials, and fans and working towards making athletics truly inclusive and accessible for all.

View FSL Report

 

 

Priority: Establish Safety and Accountability 

Reporting, Allyship, and Accountability:

• The Bias Incident Reporting Team was formed and has drafted a bias incident reporting process.
• The process is going through approvals and will be shared in September.

Policy Review:

• A working group of faculty and staff have been reviewing the Student and Family Handbook, Employee Handbook, and honor code to ensure anti-racism/anti-bias policies and practices are included. All will be shared in September.
• We will also add information about the State managed program Safe to Say, which also accepts anonymous tips on incidents of bias and racism.

Priority: Require and Expand Anti-racist Training and Education

• Faculty and Staff: All faculty and staff, even part-time employees, will be required to participate in various trainings and workshops throughout the year, beginning with the ADVIS Multicultural Resource Center’s Cultural Competency Institute on August 27. This session was previously only required for new faculty and staff. Faculty and staff will also participate in another Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) session this coming week titled, “Was it something I said?” focused on addressing racial microaggressions.

• Leadership: The administrative team will participate in Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) beginning this fall, if they have not done so already. This group of 28 spans all divisions and administrative teams, such as Advancement, IT, HR, College Counseling, Athletics, Community Engagement, and Student Support Services.

• School Committee: The full School Committee will participate in an equity and anti-racism training. Details will be finalized shortly.

• Students: Upper School students will be required to participate in Diversity Dialogue Days, led by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which were previously optional. Students will also have the option to participate in SEED. Unity Day, led by students and the Office of DEI, will continue to be a mandatory all-Upper School event.

• Families: We are forming SEED training groups for parents and caregivers and have had an overwhelming response from those who want to participate in our first session this fall.

Priority: Deepen Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Anti-racist Curriculum

• As previously noted, a new required African American History course will be launched in fall 2021, which the History Department will develop this school year. For the intervening 20-21 school year, our African American History spring elective will be offered.
• There are two Upper School opportunities for study in the area of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Social Justice course taught by Dr. Angela Campbell and Michelle Palmer and the option to develop a Directed Independent Study in the area of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Anti-bias curriculum will continue to expand this fall; teachers will participate in related professional development.

Priority: Listen, Engage, and Report

• We are in conversations with various minority owned and local firms to help us identify metrics and accountability tools to ensure our plan moves forward in meaningful ways. We will update you on these metrics this fall.

• We held 15 community conversations and many other small conversations. Most were facilitated by DEI experts and educators: Dr. Maya Gordon, Dr. Heather Townsend, and Dr. Bilal King, and others were hosted by Dana Weeks and Dr. Angela Campbell. We will host more conversations, particularly with students, this fall. You can review a summary of the themes and ideas shared below

• Now on the Actions for Equity website, we have our most recent DEI Report, sharing programs and events throughout the years. While many of these initiatives will remain, such as the Divisional Diversity Committees and Student Ambassadors, we will be updating programming throughout the year.

Priority: Increase Diversity

• The School Committee is actively working to recruit diverse members.
• Additional updates on this priority to follow.

Priority: Build Affirming Environment and Partnerships

• We are in the process of making some campus updates to better reflect the community. Additional details to follow.
• We are also hiring a full-time DEI Coordinator to support the work of this office.

Please view the 2019-2020 DEI Report here.

DEI REPORT 2019-2020

This summer, two working groups were formed—one to revise the Student and Family Handbook and another to create a bias-incident reporting process and website. While these resources are for our current students, families, faculty, and staff, we want to continue to share updates to our Action for Equity work with the full community. 

 

Student and Family Handbook Working Group

The charge of the Student and Family Handbook Working Group was to revise the handbook to reflect our anti-racism commitments shared in the Actions for Equity plan and update language that addresses accountability, safety, care, and bias incident reporting. New and revised policies, which include an Anti-Racism Policy and updates to the Honor Code can now be found in the Student and Family Handbook (pages 5-6), located on the landing pages of our Veracross portals.

 

In an effort to uphold our commitment to racial equity, we added the following anti-racism policy:

 

Germantown Friends School is an anti-racist institution. GFS denounces white supremacy and all forms of racism, discrimination, harassment, hate speech or bias, e.g., microaggressions. We affirm unequivocally the human dignity and racial and/or ethnic identities and cultural expressions of all members of the GFS community.

 

Acts of racism, including the use of racist words or allowing acts of racism to persist, will not be tolerated at GFS. Accusations of racism are very serious and will be thoroughly and fairly investigated. Consequences will be handled on a case by case basis and will be determined by the Head of School and/or other person(s) she authorizes.

 

Bias Incident Reporting

A group of nine faculty and staff—the Bias Incident Reporting Team (BIRT)—met to develop a thoughtful bias-reporting process and identify factors to consider when responding to alleged acts of bias towards students.

 

This process now includes an online form for students, current parents/caregivers, faculty, and staff to share instances of bias against students. The form is available on the Veracross student, family, and employee portals. Upon receipt of a submission, BIRT will review, take the appropriate next steps regarding offending behaviors, and notify the submitter. Instances of bias that do not involve students should be reported to Human Resources.

 

More information about the bias reporting process can be found on the Actions for Equity page.

 

We will continue to share updates on this important work. Thank you for your continued commitment and partnership.

Please view an Actions for Equity updates and reflections from Dr. Angela Campbell, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Summer, 2020. Additional updates below. 

Please view a video message from Dana Weeks, Head of School.