The fate of the ER9 Joint Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force, a subcommittee of the Easton, Redding and Region 9 Boards of Education, hangs in the balance as district leaders consider whether it is still necessary.
The DEI Task Force was formed in 2020 to create an inclusive and equitable educational environment for all students, staff, and families, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, or other identity factors.
Now it could be disbanded if members of the joint boards decide its work can be covered by the administration’s Safe School Climate Plan.
According to the minutes of the ER9 Joint Boards of Education’s May 28 meeting, members discussed the DEI Taskforce, “saying that in order for it to be more effective and for the task force and the administration to work better together, there should be clearer goals, so they aren’t taking on such a large scope of issues. The board members agreed that those involved in the DEI Task Force should come up with specific goals and targets, and present them at the next meeting to determine whether or not there is truly a need for the committee, or it can be covered by the administration with their work within their Safe School Climate Plan.”
“The work of the DEI could certainly be folded into the current strategic plan if the combined boards deem it so,” said Jeff Parker, an Easton Board of Education member and a representative on the DEI Task Force committee. “While the agenda for the next joint meeting of the three boards has not been posted, there is a high probability that the fate of the committee will be decided at that time.”
The DEI Task Force is composed of two members from the Redding Board of Education, two members from the Easton Board of Education, two members from the Region 9 Board of Education, and the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.
The creation of the task force was not without controversy. Anti-DEI activists from Easton and Redding objected to a survey the task force sent to parents and students in the district in 2021 to collect anonymous data on school climate issues. Local conservative groups sent mailers opposing the schools’ plans to increase their commitment to examining issues of race and equity, and criticizing the survey’s inclusion of questions about gender and sexual orientation.
Then-Superintendent Dr. Rydell Harrison cited changing demographics in the schools and noted the importance of making all students feel safe and included. He championed the survey and identified the charge of the DEI Task Force as being necessary to create an effective learning environment for all students, families and staff. Easton received national media attention when Harrison, ER9’s first Black superintendent, resigned from the district later that year.
When asked to comment on the future of the DEI Task Force, several ER9 board members referred inquiries to Devon Wible, a member of the Easton Board of Education and chair of the Wellness and DEI Task Force committees.
Wible told the Courier that no decision has been made about the DEI Task Force at this time, but she expects to be able to give a status update after the next task force meeting or after the three boards meet on Oct. 29.
