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Ashland - Local Town Pages

School Committee Looking At Challenges Surrounding Diversity, Equity And Inclusivity

As our student population and community demographics evolve to reflect the world around us, we embrace the challenges and opportunities this brings and recommit to making Ashland Public Schools more diverse, equitable and inclusive.
The Ashland School Committee directed the leadership team to begin an initiative to address these challenges and offer recommendations. This month, we began working with L&P Educational Services, an educational consulting organization, to objectively and independently examine and analyze our diversity and inclusion policies, procedures, programs and practices.
 In the coming weeks, all staff, faculty, and families will be invited to participate in focus groups. There will be a select number of focus groups for each stakeholder group, and we may need to select participants if any groups are oversubscribed. The focus group should last no longer than one hour and will provide an opportunity for individuals to give feedback on our current diversity, equity and inclusion programs and practices.
 Students will also be invited to participate in focus groups. Warren and Mindess student participation will be determined by principals and school counselors. AMS and AHS students will have the choice to volunteer. Families will have advance notice if their child is to be involved. Exact times, dates and locations will be announced by building principals.
 L&P may also conduct independent interviews and examine, collect and analyze data from other documentation or evidence, such as district and school policies and curriculum and student achievement and enrollment data. They will then make recommendations to the leadership team and the Ashland School Committee on how to move toward a more equitable school community. We hope to complete this audit and share our findings by June 2022. 
 If you have any questions regarding the equity audit process, please contact your principal or Michael Caira at [email protected].