Equity at MHS
Junior Lucas Tourinho, vice president of the Student Equity and Belonging Club, helps plan and organize many events throughout the year including the Festival of Nations.
Tourinho said this year the club’s name changed from the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Club to the Student Belonging and Equity Club.
“Recently, I found out that there was a negative connotation with DEI,” Tourinho said.
Shelly Justin, language arts teacher, said DEI has become a “bad word” in recent times.
“I think some people are confused or misunderstand what diversity and equity and inclusion means,” Justin said. “It includes everybody because all it is is trying to make sure every single student in this building gets what they need.”
Justin said the district began focusing more on DEI a few years ago when one of the district coordinators started the Rockwood Equity Parent Advisory Council (REPAC) and pursued Equity Ambassadors for each school.
“When I became an ambassador, I wanted to continue that,” Justin said. “I thought that having our own parent group in the building, our own student group and our own teacher group in the building was really important in getting as many voices as possible.”
Justin said the club’s name changed only to match the district’s new terminology after the Department of Educational Equity and Diversity became the Department of Educational Equity and Access (EEA).
“There is nothing new about the work we do,” Justin said. “This is what teachers do: they care about every single kid and want every single kid, no matter their background, ability, or disability to be successful.”
Justin said most voices criticizing DEI programs are not from inside schools. She encourages parents and community members to volunteer on committees like REPAC and to “come in and sub” if they are curious about what occurs inside the school.
District-wide Developments
In an emailed statement to The Messenger, Superintendent Dr. Curtis Cain said that the “refocus and rebranding of our Dignity and Belonging work is to ensure that all students and staff feel seen, heard and valued in the Rockwood School District.”
“Educational equity reflects the definition of the work we are engaging in as a district to ensure we are meeting the individual needs of every student,” Dr. Cain said.
Dr. Cassandra Suggs, director of Educational Equity and Access, said since the department’s name changed when she entered this position last year, there has been a comprehensive review of all schools in the district to determine what the Department of Educational Equity and Access could help with.
“We were able to add quite a few things,” Dr. Suggs said.
These additions included a larger Meet Me in St. Louis Event as part of the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation (VICC) Program, meeting and planning with schools over the summer, working with the gifted program, and working more closely with the Communications Department.
Dr. Suggs and her assistant, Emily Walshaw, founded the EEA We Find a Way grant, and over 30 grants have been given to schools for many purposes.
“We’ve donated snacks to every elementary school so that when they have snack time, all students have snacks,” Dr. Suggs said. “We’ve just bought water for all the schools since it’s getting hot for kids going longer distances on the bus. We’ve helped with field trips and bus lifts [for students in wheelchairs].”
Dr. Suggs said these additional programs and the department’s rebranding have expanded their equity work to all students and dispelled the notion that the department only works for minority students.
“That’s what our focus has been: that all children that come to Rockwood, regardless of their abilities, have the most valuable experience in Rockwood and can live up to their potential,” Dr. Suggs said.
Far-reaching Goals
Part of RSD’s long-term student success plan, The Way Forward, is a new equity training program called “Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity.” Board members voted 4-0 on Thursday, Feb. 9, to approve paying Dignity Consulting $110,800 to help implement the program.
Dr. Suggs said the “Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity” training is more holistic and all-encompassing than previous equity initiatives.
“It connects to our Way Forward goal, which then every building connects to The Way Forward goal as well as every department in the district,” Dr. Suggs said. “Everyone should be treated with dignity and feel like they belong. That goes for staff, students, parents and community members.”
Currently, six buildings are going through the training. Dr. Suggs said the rest will go through the training next year. Once every building is trained, the EEA Department will implement a system to sustain the training, continue working with schools and gain needed feedback.
The department has also added conflict resolution training for staff.
“How can we have successful conversations with one another that lead to productivity,” Dr. Suggs said. “Conflict is inevitable, and ‘conflict’ doesn’t have to be a dirty word. It’s just a word that means we need to discuss further and get to a better means.”
Dr. Suggs said the EEA Department has had significant early successes with these programs, and she encourages parents and community members to ask the district questions to learn more.
