Racial Equity Task Force

The Hawbridge School Racial Equity Task Force 

Current work and partnership with Seeds of Change (2024-25 school year):

The Hawbridge School’s Racial Equity Task Force spearheaded the school’s yearlong partnership with Seeds of Change Consulting for the current school year.  This partnership allows all faculty and staff to access on-going personal and professional development.  These opportunities will include:

• Support with the school’s new strategic plan.
• Intensive professional development for all teachers and staff at the beginning of the year to discuss the history of race and racism in the United States and the effects on public education today.
• Optional monthly learning hubs for all faculty and staff around various topics relating to race, class, gender, bias, and the impact on the education of our students.

Please contact Emily Martin with any questions: [email protected]

Mission:

The Hawbridge School’s racial equity task force examines how race and racism impact our school community through school policy and procedure, access to resources, and the experiences of our students, staff, faculty, and families. We also recognize the ways in which gender identity and sexual orientation, ability, religion, and socioeconomic status affect student outcomes and school culture. The task force seeks to address issues of racial equity within our school community and the school’s impact on the surrounding communities, and it provides research-based recommendations to administration. 

Goals:

• Welcome and recruit a community of faculty, staff, and students that is reflective of the racial/ethnic diversity of the counties in which our families live.
• Survey students, staff, and families to identify improvements the school can and should make to support and serve a thriving and diverse community, and review additional sources of data to identify areas in which our practices are perpetuating inequities.
• Make recommendations to the school administration based on both this information and other needs identified by the task force.
• Recommend professional development and other resources to help cultivate a pervasive antiracist culture.

Past task force members:

LaShauna Austria, Former Parent and Community Member
Jonathan Farmer, Teacher
Emily Martin, Dean of Students
Dani Moore, Teacher
Zoe Nahatis, Upper School Counselor
Liz Osborne, Former Parent, Former Teacher, and Community Member
Logan Robertson, Lower School Counselor
Tiana Thornton, MTSS Coordinator

Additional resources:

Hawbridge demographics