October 3, 2020
Dear Laurel Community,
We are so thankful for the courageous voices within our community who have called out instances of racism and injustice, both at the school and beyond. We are grateful for their leadership and for catalyzing a process of reflection and reform that will benefit Laurel students for generations to come. Throughout this process, it is critical that we honor and respect the voices of Black girls and women, but also that the School does not burden our Black and Brown students and faculty and staff with the anti-racist work that is the job of white people to take on.
On Monday, September 21, we received a video of one of our students using a racial slur and suspended the student immediately. We promptly began our investigation and restorative justice processes. On Thursday, September 24, based on information we learned during our investigation, we informed her that she could not return to the School.
As many of you know, years ago, Laurel recognized the need to make diversity and equity a pillar of our work, and we have amplified that work in 2020. But while we have instituted a number of initiatives and reforms, we know there is much more work to be done to ensure that our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color) students, parents, faculty, staff and alumnae are valued, respected and safe in our community.
Your insights and feedback are critical to our rebuilding efforts as we recommit to creating a school that accepts, embraces and empowers all students to succeed. Thank you for holding us accountable and lending your voices to help us reach higher.
We recognize that what follows is lengthy; there are no shortcuts in work this critical or difficult.
As we wrote this summer, we have long been committed to diversity, equity, access and social justice at Laurel School. For your reference, here are links to the communications we sent in June and July:
In August, after all faculty and staff viewed a powerful video produced by young BIPOC alums and current students about their experiences at Laurel, DEI consultant Erica Merritt of the Equius Group worked with all members of the faculty and staff on identifying microaggressions. Additionally, every adult member of the Laurel community was required to complete implicit bias tests to deepen our awareness of unconscious bias.
This summer, we began to explore and implement action steps necessary to move our school forward. Much of this work aligns with the items included in a recent petition we received from alumnae. It is our intention to continue to work deliberately to make necessary progress. This work includes, but is not limited to:
- Inviting student leaders to join the Division Director, Dean and Co-Directors of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) to critically evaluate our Upper School curriculum through the lens of anti-racist education.
- Inviting student leaders to review and reform new disciplinary policies, informed by our Co-Directors of DEIB, Candace Maiden and Lauren Calig, that allow us to respond swiftly and effectively to racist incidents.
- Developing a reporting mechanism for incidents that violate school policies.
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Having Erica Merritt of the Equius Group facilitate the Anti-Racist Task Force beginning October 9. Click here to see membership to date.
- Collecting direct feedback from students, faculty, parents and alumnae through surveys, focus groups and interviews as part of the Task Force process.
- Performing an exhaustive review of documents, materials and existing policies and practices as part of the Task Force process.
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Undertaking formal training in Restorative Justice for faculty in Middle and Upper School. Restorative Justice has long been a philosophical part of discipline at Laurel and is congruent with our work on growth mindset.
- Hosting a panel for the whole Upper School on November 18 featuring alumnae who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
- Auditing our hiring processes and incorporating recommendations to increase faculty of color.
- Including consequences for acts of racism in Student and Employee Handbooks.
- Including a statement rejecting racism in student enrollment contracts, employee contracts and Trustee statement of expectations.
- Providing detailed updates to the community on a regular basis.
Our focus moving forward is to create a more equitable and inclusive culture in which every student can thrive. We want every Laurel student, regardless of race, faith, sexual orientation or socio-economic status, to feel respected and valued in our school. We know this work will never be fully finished, and we are committed to a lifelong process of learning and reforming to ensure all students and alumnae feel proud of their experiences at our school.
Like many independent schools across the country, we acknowledge our history as a predominantly white institution. We owe it to our current and future students and families to continue to evolve as a school. Our moral imperative requires us to examine our school culture, traditions and customs through the lens of DEIB. If you would like to be involved directly in this important work, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for your care and compassion for our school, our community and one another.
Warmly,
