Diversity & Inclusion Committee taking shape, setting goals

Before the start of the 2019-2020 school year, the Baldwinsville Central School District embarked on the creation of a new committee to tackle issues of diversity and inclusion.

Superintendent Matthew McDonald led the district on the quest to explore the needs and challenges of all students, and to embrace diversity in all of its forms.

The committee represents a variety of district stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, community members, staff members and board of education members.

A call for committee members was made over the summer and the committee has met three times – in September, October and November – with facilitator Derrick Dorsey. Dorsey is the past executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Syracuse and was most recently the director of the Community-Wide Dialogue to End Racism for InterFaith Works of Central New York. He also serves on the Board of Education for the Syracuse City School District. 

Human Resources Official David Kilcourse oversees the committee, which is currently working to complete its initial charge of creating a mission statement. The committee is also looking to set short-term and long-term goals, which will be presented to the Board of Education in January 2020.

The district’s wish is to start implementing revised curriculum and begin offering special presentations for students, staff and community members in the spring of 2020. 

“This committee is allowing for your voice to exist in a place that it didn’t exist before,” Dorsey told a student who is one of the committee members during the meeting held on Nov. 19.

Dorsey said he looks at his job as a facilitator as if he is the coach and the committee members as if they are a team. He said he’s giving the team all the tools they need to be able to move the committee forward when he’s done coaching.

“Everyone is going to get touched by this new mindset, this shift, which I think it is very powerful and I’m hopeful for it too,” Dorsey said.