Diversity & Equity Task Force
Our Mission
Through a shared responsibility for the health and well-being of the students and families we serve, we wish to create a community in which all members feel valued, included, and connected. This work is intended to support the school district’s goal of educating compassionate and creative global citizens by honoring the diversity of our community and enhancing a learning environment that promotes equity in both curricular and co-curricular programs.
Our Work
The OPUSD Diversity and Equity Task Force is committed to examining and making change in the areas of cultural, curricular, and/or systemic biases that negatively impact our students, families, and community members.
To learn more about OPUSD actions which are aimed towards promoting and ensuring equity throughout our schools, click here.
To view the agenda items for Task Force Meetings, click here.
We encourage you to let us know your experiences and concerns by emailing any of our members or submitting an anonymous concern here.
Our Members
Task Force members include site and parent representatives, district leadership, and school board members. The task force is constructed with an emphasis on including members who represent diverse cultures and races, and who are committed towards working towards positive change in our schools. Current members are:
Holly Baxter, Chair, Coordinator for Safety & Equity, hbaxter@opusd.orgJenny Charrett, OPHS Counselor, jcharrett@opusd.orgStephanie Perez, MCMS Counselor, sperez@opusd.orgAlana Schulman, OHES Counselor, achulman@opusd.orgSara Ahl, Director of Extended Care, sahl@opusd.orgDerek Ross, Board Member, dross@opusd.orgSirisha Potluri, Elementary Parent RepDr. Tracey Burrell, PhD, Middle School Parent RepAudley Harrison, M.B.E., MUniv, BSc, High School Parent Rep
District Statement, June 2020
Dear Families and Staff,
Our nation is in a crisis of many dimensions. The death of George Floyd, and many before him, is inexcusable and a blight upon what defines us as a nation.
As a school district, we are in a continual process of examining whether we do enough to educate our students about systemic racism and bias as well as encouraging listening with empathy and understanding. It is at times like this that we ask ourselves as parents and educators, have we done enough? Are we missing something?
This past year, our district created a Diversity and Equity Task Force (DETF) in collaboration with county and state agencies and including staff and parent representatives from each school site. The mission of the DETF is as follows:
Through a shared responsibility for the health and well-being of the students and families we serve, we wish to create a community in which all members feel valued, included, and connected. This work is intended to support the school district’s goal of educating compassionate and creative global citizens by honoring the diversity of our community and enhancing a learning environment that promotes equity in both curricular and co-curricular programs.
We acknowledge that there is much work to be done and the first step in any healing process is to recognize past harm, hurt, and injustice. We will continue this work with your students when they are under our care and you can expect to hear more about our work in the coming school year.
At this pivotal time, many parents are struggling with how to talk to their children about racism, unrest, and civil rights. Children and teens typically have a strong sense of what is just and what is not. Please view the linked documents and websites for more information on supporting children during this time, and creating an open discussion with your family about this important topic. We encourage you to speak with your child, of any age, about racism and its damage. Provide your child with experiences that allow them to understand a variety of cultures, viewpoints, and lifestyles. We also encourage you to teach your child to stand up and speak out against racism in any form and to report racist comments or actions immediately to an adult.
Holly Baxter, Counselor - Chair, OPUSD Diversity, and Equity Task Force
Stew McGugan, Director of Student Support and School Safety
Dr. Jay Greenlinger, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Tony Knight, Superintendent