The Hatfield School Committee mourns with the families of the victims of the recent racially-motivated violence. We denounce the indefensible actions that resulted in these deaths, condemn systemic racism, and vow to actively participate in ending racism in our country.
Hatfield is at an intersection, as many communities are, between the desire for the tradition and charm that make Hatfield such a wonderful place to raise and educate our children, and a willingness to change our actions in order to respond to today’s challenges, including systemic racism. The school committee is committed to making our way through this and into the next phase of our district in a thoughtful and strategic way. We will prioritize social justice, equity and the social-emotional wellbeing of our community, as well as academic excellence.
We as a school committee pledge to do all we can to ensure that racism has no place in Hatfield schools. This includes:
- Reviewing our District mission, policies, and improvement plans and resolving any practice or procedure that produces inequitable outcomes.
- Identifying, challenging, and changing values, structures, behaviors, and classroom content that can create systemic racism and upholding those that prioritize equity and inclusion.
- Financially supporting anti-racism professional development and student programming per administration’s recommendations.
- Bringing in an outside group to speak to the School Committee and the administration about how to ensure we are actively addressing racism in the schools.
- Creating a standing agenda item to address racial justice and equity at our School Committee meetings.
Teaching is an inherently optimistic undertaking - we believe in our students, and we work together to realize each child’s potential and safeguard their inherent dignity. We call upon the entire Hatfield school community to unite in ending racism and providing all children with the best foundation for their humane growth and development.
This work is more important than ever before, and with the power that lies in community and the united efforts of a school like ours, our actions can make this a better world.
