( The Center Square) – Connecticut’s Middletown School District unveiled its latest initiative in mid-September: a school program titled “Diversity Equity and Inclusion Jr. Change Agents.”
According to the school’s website, the DEI Jr. Change Agents program comprises Middletown high school students who “strive to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion throughout the school.”
Jessie Lavorgna, director of communications at Middletown Public Schools, said the program is part of the district’s comprehensive focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, or DEIB.
“Middletown Public Schools is committed to creating and sustaining inclusive and equitable environments for all — our students, staff, and families,” Lavorgna wrote in an emailed statement. “This commitment is at the heart of everything we do and is guided by our core values: empowerment, community, growth and authenticity.”
Lavorgna said that the program works with their adult counterparts.
“One of the ways we’re bringing these values to life is through our Jr. DEIB Change Agents program for our secondary students,” she wrote. “This program works hand-in-hand with our adult DEIB Change Agents, who are staff members throughout the district.”
“We firmly believe that our students have valuable insights, and their voices are crucial in shaping a school community where everyone feels that they belong,” Lavorgna said.
“Middletown Public Schools’ approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is comprehensive; there is ample evidence of this in our strategic plans, our policies, and in the way we operate day-to-day,” Lavorgna added.
Previously, the plan was under the supervision of former DEI director Jada Waters and the students had several central objectives, according to the school’s website, to “notice places where they can promote diversity, equity, and inclusion;” “create step by step plans to implement meaningful change in those areas, making MHS a welcoming place for everyone;” working with administrators on restorative and representing the school in “monthly cultural awareness events.”
While Middletown began accepting DEI Jr. Change Agent applications last month, Waters was terminated from her position a month prior. She was without a state administrator’s certification, according to the school’s human resources department, as reported by the Middletown Press.
At the district’s Oct. 8 regular board of education meeting, Dawn Brooks, the principal of Middletown High School, also shared an update regarding the future of the DEI Jr. Change Agents.
“Our DEI Jr. Change Agents are still in place, we do have advisors in the school who will be working with them,” Brooks said during a presentation to the board. “We know we will have some changes in the department, our admin team is continuing the work and keeping our staff abreast of the work while we wait for these changes to occur in leadership.”
When asked about Waters’ certifications, but the school did not respond. Instead, Lavorgna answered questions about the club’s future.
“While we are currently in the process of hiring for the Director of DEIB position, our initiatives and dedication to DEIB work continues; after all, this is the work of many, done with many,” she told Chalkboard.