Dear Coventry Families:

As our nation sends a clear message about the need for society to address the injustices and racial inequities taking place, I thought it would be important to share what our district has been doing over the years to address the important topic of racial inequity. Below is some information I have been sharing recently, which I hope you will find valuable as you engage in discussions in the community.

As a district, we must do our part to foster in our students the importance of accepting others regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs. We must also set as apriority, maintaining a school culture that is welcoming to all and does not tolerate hateful acts.To ensure this is occurring, as an educational institution, we are always evaluating programs and making refinements to our practices. Further, we understand the value of offering ongoing programs to our students that focus on tolerance and empathy. We must be sensitive and responsive to how, as a society, we are evolving and, therefore, we must be leaders in the change we want to see. If we do our part to erase these inequities, we can have a positive impact on students and the Coventry community.

In August of 2019, I, along with the Board of Education, identified the following goals as a priority:

● Explore, develop, and recommend a plan for the inclusion of more minority students at Coventry Public Schools.

● Evaluate and refine the district protocols and practices for the hiring process of certified
staff with a focus on the development of a plan for recruitment of minority candidates.

The above goals are essential to the continued development of our district. We fully intend to have these goals remain a priority until we are able to realize the change we know needs to happen. Discussions have begun with leaders of Connecticut's Open Choice Program on howCoventry can welcome a more diverse population of students to our schools. To support the work involved with staff recruitment, Coventry became a member of EASTCONN's Minority Teacher Recruitment Consortium. The result of being a part of this group had the district evaluating all aspects of our organization such as our website, marketing materials, and interviewing practices, just to name a few. My hope is, through this review of our organization,we attract more minority candidates to our district.

Also, this year, Coventry Public Schools began to design and deliver Cultural Competency Training for all staff. This training included the following subject matter developed to sensitize staff and help them improve the quality of pedagogy and relationships. Topics addressed were as follows:

● Teacher self assessment/awareness

● Personal beliefs

● Personal biases

● Implicit bias

● Language use

● Race related issues

● Class related issues

● Differences between prejudice, discrimination, and institutional discrimination

● Systemic barriers to achievement related to race and class

● Changes in approach to support learning

○ Perceptual strategies

○ Pedagogic strategies

○ Language strategies

○ Relational strategies

○ Working with families To support this ongoing work, Coventry administrators participated in a professional dialogue/seminar series sponsored by the University of Connecticut's Neag School of Education. The dialogue included public school district representatives, professors from Neag,and Neag education students. It consisted of readings (books and articles), videos, dialogue and district goal setting moving forward. This and future trainings/seminars will inform our district's professional development as it continues to be rolled out to our staff.

We also had Unconscious Bias training scheduled that was to begin with our administrative team and then move to our staff. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, this training did not take place. However, we plan to schedule this training for the 2020/2021 school year.

Coventry students currently have the option of anonymously reporting concerns they may have through the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System. Our students are often aware of the problems their peers are facing. This system empowers them to recognize danger signs and gives them the tools to help each other with the assistance of trained and caring adults.

As I noted, the need for change is not something that can wait. As a district, we look forward to being part of this change. If you have any questions regarding the information provided in this email, please contact my office.

Regards,
David

David J. Petrone, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Coventry Public Schools
1700 Main Street
Coventry, CT 06238
Tel: (860) 742-7317 x2
Fax: (860) 742-4567