MCCPS Board of Trustees
Minutes
DEI Committee meeting
Date and Time
Thursday October 23, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Location
Hybrid: in person at MCCPS and zoom.
Please note that the in-person meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the remote connection.
Committee Members Present
Chris Re (remote), Christina Webber (remote), Jennie Cohen (remote), Lindsay Smith (remote), Paul Baker (remote), Stephanie Brant (remote)
Committee Members Absent
Hayley Suffriti, Ian Hunt
Guests Present
Johnathan Robison (remote), Sara Pouladian (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Ian Hunt |
Absent
|
| Stephanie Brant |
Aye
|
| Hayley Suffriti |
Absent
|
| Lindsay Smith |
Aye
|
| Christina Webber |
Aye
|
| Paul Baker |
Absent
|
| Jennie Cohen |
Aye
|
| Chris Re |
Abstain
|
D.
Introductions
II. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
A.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee statement
Review of the key terms:
Diversity: Who’s in the room?
Equity: Who is trying to get into the room but can’t? What are the barriers?
Inclusion: Have everyone’s ideas been heard, respected and understood? Ask!!
Belonging: How do we create a culture where everyone can feel belonging?
Lindsay read the short version of the statement which has been posted on the MCCPS website:
Lindsay made a plug for future involvement in the DEI committee - commitment requires just 1 hour a month and all are welcome to join.
B.
Special guest share from our parent community
Sara Pouladian joined to present to the DEI Committee on The Fight Against Antisemitism in Our Schools & Communities. The goal is to raise awareness of antisemitism being experienced in our schools. See the powerpoint presentation and Translate Hate glossary. Please see the documentation tab for the full presentation slide deck.
There are possibilities for future presentations available for teachers, students and the community, depending on MCCPS needs.
C.
DEI committee goals
We need to set goals for the committee and will discuss in our November meeting. Please come prepared with ideas.
III. DEI opportunities to share with the school community
A.
List of Future Opportunities
This is a new recurring agenda item which will be added to all meetings going forward to allow committee members to highlight DEI opportunities that can be share with our school community. Please share what you find.
IV. Closing Items
A.
Ideas to recruit new members
All committee members are encouraged to recruit new members to attend.
B.
Public comment
C.
Adjourn Meeting
- 2025_05_21_dei_committee_meeting_minutes.pdf
- Translate Hate 2025.pdf
Round robin to introduce new participants and committee members including name, connection to MCCPS, and why they are interested in DEI work.