Wayne Schools To Host Parent Forum On Diversity Goals

WAYNE, NJ — A Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Goal for the upcoming school year, has caused an outcry from some parents who believe the district is attempting to implement elements of Critical Race Theory into the curriculum.

After voicing their concerns and opinions at two separate Board of Education meetings, district officials have scheduled a community forum to unpack the goal.

According to the district, the parent forum will focus on two parts of the discussion, and offer:

• "A presentation to respond to key curricular concerns shared by parents at the June 24th BOE meeting.
• Optional participation in roundtable discussions led by District Administrators."

The debate about the goal comes as another topic du jour of the Internet is still dominating conversations on news programs and print outlets: Critical Race Theory.

Superintendent Mark Toback responded to concerns that the goal was actually an attempt to implement the theory in the school in June.

The June 10th Board of Education meeting included a presentation regarding our school district goal, which was focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Some residents have connected the June 10th presentation to Critical Race Theory because it includes terminology and topics closely associated with Critical Race Theory. The example of the legislation in Texas also demonstrates one of the biggest problems we all face in considering this issue. Critical Race Theory is not well defined at this moment. While some believe that any efforts made by schools to consider issues related to diversity and inclusion as efforts to promote Critical Race Theory, others see these same efforts as vital to supporting and affirming the backgrounds of all students in our increasingly diverse community.

Diversity and inclusion goals actually aren't new to the district, as one was first established in June 2020, according to the presentation. That goal included the call to review the mascot name of Wayne High Schools, and aimed to:

• Develop a district mission statement with a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion
• Review curriculum and instruction, specifically English, language arts and history
• Review human resources policies, procedures and hiring practices

Still, a vocal cohort of community members have raised concerns, and will get to address them at the upcoming forum.

The forum is scheduled for Aug. 11 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. A Google form has been posted with more information, which can be found here.

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