Easton-Redding-Region 9 School District forms DEI “Task Force,” calls for anonymous reporting system and mandatory anti-racism training for janitorial staff

Formed in July 2020, the ER 9 DEI Task Force held their first meeting on July 16, 2020, with the following purpose:

The Committee shall:

● Conduct an Annual Assessment on the state of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and report to the
boards
● Hold regularly scheduled meetings
● Establish annual and multi-year goals
● Identify and recommend appropriate sources of funding for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
initiatives

The annual assessment, as explained by a committee member on May 25, 2021, is as follows:

“[P]arents will receive an email asking if they would like to receive the survey. If they click a link, they will receive a copy of the survey to review, and then have to opt their child into taking the survey.”

The most recent survey is titled “Joel Barlow Petition on Racial Justice” for the Joel Barlow High School.

Attached to the petition is a letter written by the DEI Task Force and signed by the ER9 and Barlow community, addressed to the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and the members of the Region 9 Board of Education. The letter seeks “To create an anti-racist curriculum and climate at Joel Barlow High School, students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and community members want to see the following action steps implemented:

The DEI Task Force then proposed an Action Steps and Curriculum Guide to address “systemic racism at Joel Barlow High School:”

Below is an excerpt that includes a call for an anonymous reporting system:

The full guide is attached as a PDF at the top of this post.