The Museum School

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

Regular Meeting (via Zoom) - Monday May 10th, 2021 @7:00 PM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
Kelly Swinks present member On Time At Adjournment
Janaun Ivy not present member
Katherine Kelbaugh not present member
Tristin Albertsman not present member
Andy Huff not present member
Christina Cassidy present chair On Time At Adjournment
Zach Robison not present member

Welcome and Call to Order

The meeting was called to the order with opening remarks from the chair.

Project Updates

Dr. Kelbaugh was unable to attend the meeting due to personal reasons. EDI consultant Ms. Stewart provided an update on her behalf. Ms. Stewart noted that the first round of listening circles including staff and caregivers was complete. The second round for Board and Advisory Council are slated for this week. Ms. Stewart said the first round of listening circles have already generated valuable feedback and she will be preparing a report to the Board summarizing the community's thoughts on the current mission statement. Ms. Stewart also shared that school leaders were developing an equity-based instructional model and were utilizing "Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain" as a key resource. The goal is for all staff to be trained in restorative practices. Ms. Stewart also provided an update on a recent discussion with members of the Parent Council on Diversity and Equity, noting that caregivers were asking for more transparency. She noted there was a desire for more information and more discussion of interim successes.


Strategic Discussion

Board Chair Swinks provided a brief update on plans for the upcoming State of the Schools, which has been rescheduled to May 27. The plan is for the presentation to include a summary of staff and Board efforts to advance EDI initiatives. The plan is to include a brief summary of the equity audit conducted in partnership with the Georgia Conservancy. The Committee discussed next steps relative to the listening circles, and it was agreed that the Board would seek to form a task force that would be charged with considering changes to the mission statement, along with perhaps crafting a vision statement. The idea is that this task force can be created and be prepared to work over the summer in the event changes are desired. In this case, any proposed changes would be presented to the community for additional feedback in early Fall.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:05 pm

Motion to adjourn

By: Christina Cassidy Seconded by: Kelly Swinks

There was no notable discussion on the motion.