DIXFIELD — The Regional School Unit 56 board of directors voted to continue the district’s Civil Rights Committee next year following a presentation by committee members during the board of directors meeting at Dirigo High School on Tuesday.
Committee members Dirigo Middle School Principal Jason Long, Educational Technician Earl Couture, school Librarian Kristen Arsenault and community member Danielle Williams each spoke during the presentation to tell board members what the committee has been doing since its start in the spring of 2020.
Long displayed slides that showed survey questions written by the committee and given to the middle school students, Dirigo High School students and staff last winter. The survey was given “to try to gather information about us; our kids, our schools, us (and) what’s going on here (in consideration of civil rights),” Long said.
Questions on the survey ranged from the frequency that students and staff heard inappropriate comments at school, whether they valued multiple perspectives and diversity, and whether they had heard specific harassment language within the past two years.
“The bottom line from this (question about inappropriate comments) is the same thing that we learned two years ago (in the first survey), which is that the majority of the inappropriate comments are happening when staff are not around because the kids do indeed know that those are not appropriate things to say,” Long said.
For survey questions on whether the staff and students value multiple perspectives and diversity, Long said, “It’s interesting to note that most students do see an issue; students generally agree that they as a group can do better at valuing others.”
He also noted that staff rated themselves higher for valuing multiple perspectives and diversity than the students rated the staff, with most of the staff choosing ‘good’ to ‘very good’ ratings and most of the students choosing ‘neutral’ to ‘good’ for the staff rating of the question.
In the committee’s update, the group said that the Civil Rights Team has expanded to Dirigo Elementary School in Peru for its first full-year pilot program this year for grades three through five, where they maintained a bulletin board featuring civil rights and equality materials. Students presented at an assembly during Black History month, among other activities.
At the middle school, the Civil Rights Team created a Day of Welcome sign as part of the statewide project in November, had student-led conversations about school climate and related issues, and tried different foods from different cultures.
The committee said that students at the high school and other members of the Civil Rights Team also participated in the statewide Day of Welcome, maintained a holidays and observances board, and maintained a monthly focus board, among other actions.
Regional School Unit 56 Civil Rights Committee members Alexa Allen, left, and Earl Couture discuss civil rights and equality on the football field at Dirigo High School in October 2021. Committee member Karolyn Buotte is at right. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times file
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