Pullman School District

Minutes

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Task Force Meeting

Date and Time

Wednesday February 18, 2026 at 5:30 PM

Location

Community Room

District Office

240 SE Dexter St. 

Pullman, WA 99163

Committee Members Present

Andrew Chen, Cheyenne Webber, Colette Casavant, Courtney Hodge, Deena Bayoumi, Megan Itani, Stephany RunningHawk Johnson

Committee Members Absent

Bekah Miller MacPhee, Daun Park, Hafisatu Abess, Jia Cheng, Retal Abdellatiffe, Wigiiyaohti (Tolman)

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

Stephany RunningHawk Johnson called a meeting of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Task Force Committee of Pullman School District to order on Wednesday Feb 18, 2026 at 5:30 PM.

C.

Approve Meeting Minutes

Courtney Hodge made a motion to approve the minutes from Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Task Force Meeting on 01-21-26.
Stephany RunningHawk Johnson seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

II. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Task Force

A.

Tasks assigned by the School Board

Tasks reviewed.

B.

Spring "Community Connections" Planning

The DEIB Task Force is collaborating with district staff and community partners to plan a Spring Family Fair designed to connect families with schools, programs, and local resources in a welcoming and inclusive setting.

 

The event will take place April 22 from 4:30–6:30 p.m. at Pullman High School and will include a School Board Community Listening Session, an enrollment fair, and opportunities for families to connect with community organizations. All families and community members are encouraged to attend.

 

Community partners have been invited and provided an RSVP link. The Task Force discussed engaging a wide range of partners in meaningful ways to support not only connections between families and resources, but also family-to-family connection. This includes inviting multicultural clubs and groups, potentially through PTA/PTOs, Boosters, and ASB. Tables are also planned for Pullman School District Special Services, offering information on IEPs, 504 plans, and Child Find.

Additional outreach includes engaging Whitman County disability resource organizations, Washington State University ROAR, and Head Start, particularly to support families enrolling incoming kindergarten students. The Task Force also discussed partnering with Washington State University to help provide facilitators and reaching out to multicultural sororities to assist with translation support. Translated enrollment materials will be available at the event.

 

To create a fun and engaging experience, the task force discussed engaging student groups to support the event through food, entertainment, and interactive activities.

 

Planning is ongoing, with a continued focus on ensuring the Spring Family Fair is accessible, engaging, and reflective of the diverse needs of our community.

C.

Palouse Community Breakfast

Community Breakfast flyer from Palouse EDJE organization was shared. Will include this flyer into Staff Weekly Report for those interested in attending. 

D.

Continue Discussion: Explore Grant Funding Opportunities

Task force is continuing to explore grant funding opportunities. Will keep it on the agenda as a continuing item for future reference.  

III. Closing Items

A.

Adjourn Meeting

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 6:30 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Stephany RunningHawk Johnson