LYNNFIELD ― Equity-report findings were presented to the School Committee and scrutinized by the public at a meeting on Dec. 21.
The Lynnfield Public Schools (LPS) hired The Equity Process LLC (TEP) to conduct an audit to examine its climate of inclusion for culturally-diverse communities and prevent future exclusionary practices, the final report said.
“We believe very deeply that we want to make sure that all of our students are loved, seen, heard, valued and engaged when learning,” said Superintendent of Schools Kristen Vogel.
The process took almost six months and involved different interviews, focus groups, examination of data and input from the School Committee, Equity Committee, students, families, A Healthy Lynnfield, school faculty and administration of the district, said Kevin Cyr, director of teaching and learning.
“We had conversations almost daily,” said Cyr.
The report looked at the existing work the district is doing, alignment of its core values to its equity goals — such as providing a safe physical and emotional environment for all members of the school community — and suggested actionable steps to improve inclusivity for all of their students.
“It allows us to have a neutral, unbiased perspective of our community,” said Vogel.
TEP identified that the common theme for Lynnfield schools, community and students was kindness.
“It really warmed my heart for it to be the theme,” said Vogel.
Among other strengths of the district, the TEP report highlighted that LPS provides a welcoming environment for families; the staff’s professional development is aligned with the needs of the evolving student population; and the school system includes a district-wide diversity, equity and inclusion system.
In the elementary school, TEP noted, students were able to engage with each other and adults in thoughtful ways, multiple students’ perspectives were encouraged and challenged in a supportive manner, and ample collaboration was present in the classroom.
“That was all on full display,” said Cyr. “They couldn’t say enough about instruction and the community feel.”
In Lynnfield High School, the report favorably mentioned the “Vision of the Graduate” initiative, a pilot program that ensures high-school students will have the life skills they need after graduating. The report suggested that it should be implemented throughout the district.
Vogel said that it will take some time until the mindset of the Vision of the Graduate trickles down to younger kids.
“We need it to go for a full four years so we can see the process and to see what needs to be tweaked,” Vogel said.
Cyr highlighted students’ initiative to participate in civic projects.
“A couple of groups approached us within the last couple of weeks because they are being thoughtful about the big picture, and they are going beyond high school. They want to have real community impact,” said Cyr.
The report praised other programs implemented in LPS, like the Lynnfield Middle School Advisory and Lynnfield High School Compass Program.
The Equity Report also provided ample recommendations for the district, and grouped them into three categories: climate and culture; diversity, equity, and inclusion in professional development; and curriculum.
The auditors suggested that the district define what “Lynnfield Kind” means through the lens of equitable practices while also taking into account the input of different stakeholders, design of an implementation scheme, and ability to practice it daily. TEP also suggested that the district streamline its student handbooks across the schools and come up with a district-wide, unified expectation of continuity from school to school.
TEP also recommended that LPS provide more opportunities for families and community engagement within school buildings, and reach out to more community partners who could bring in additional opportunities and support for students, staff, parents/guardians and families.
The auditors found that most policies were “adult friendly,” but were missing equitable policies for students. TEP suggested creating a diverse student task force to update those policies.
Parent-teacher organizations were recommended to give two seats to Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and to a METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity) parent or guardian. The report generally advised the district to engage more with the Boston-resident students and their families, seek their points of view and input, and celebrate and honor their life experiences.
In cases of misconduct, TEP recommended using restorative practices to provide opportunities for students to learn from their mistakes and make amends for their actions.
Among easier changes, TEP mentioned acknowledging more non-Christian religious celebrations and/or holidays from other cultures and religious beliefs, like Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples Day, instead of Columbus Day.
The School Committee members were pleased with the work TEP and the school district did together. At the same time, residents present at the meeting were not completely satisfied, and expressed concern about measurability of the outcomes of the audit.
David Morales, a resident who moved to town from Lynn five years ago, said that the district needs to identify what inequity exists in the town. He also asked for ways to measure equity.
“What are the tangible measures of success we will evaluate this with?” Morales asked.
He said that it was important to him to teach his children about income and the ability to generate wealth.
Bill Gardner, another resident and a father of four children, said he spent years designing surveys, directing groups and performing ethnographies. He said that the report lacked extensive data that would support the findings.
“As it reads, this document is full of opinion and scarce on data,” Gardner said. “I ask the leadership present if they can provide all the data gathered by the group for public examination. I believe, in doing so, we would not only gain more insights, but considerably more trust — something that is in short supply.”