Everyone shared what they were looking forward to with the changing of seasons.

Luciana shared about a DEI workshop that she hosted as part of her Masters program in Diversity Leadership at Tufts; workshop focused on redefining affirmative action in the US for grades K through 12

 Brian shared a recent school issue in which a small swastika was found in a bathroom stall wall; the incident is under investigation; next steps in the response are as follows:

1)inform teachers and provide talking points that will restate the schools values  

2) provide space in advisory and student led forums to discuss the incident and any additional response that may be needed.

Brian shared his HoS goal: Parker student population will look like our sending towns- 70% white and 30% BIPOC.  Parker is currently at 13.5% BIPOC with a goal of increasing that to 15% by next year. Brian shared that the lottery for next year will run 01March 2024 instead of 01Feb2024 to provide an additional month of marketing of Parker.  Marketing includes a mailer that will go to Leominster given the size of the community of the BIPOC communities in Leominster.  

The mailer will be in English, with QR codes that provide Spanish and Portuguese translations.  The DEI committee provided feedback on the mailer’s content/messaging. Feedback included: 

1) highlight academic excellence, diversity, and readiness for college and life more explicitly on the front of the mailer 

2) Similarly highlight the niche rating for Parker teachers on the front of the mailer. At our January DEI meeting Brian will bring a request for the members of the DEI committee to provide a 5-start rating and tell their stories of Parker on digital platforms.