Southampton DEI Task Force Sees Wave of Resignations; New BIPOC Group Forms

At least six members of a task force dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion within the Southampton School District have stepped down over the past two months, some citing frustration over the lack of collaboration on this year’s strategic plan and an overall dismissal of their opinions and concerns.

“It just became very clear to me that they didn’t want us a part of the decision-making anymore, because we were asking for actual change, and we were going to put things in the plan which they had to actually make changes,” Shawn Smith, a Shinnecock member and physical education teacher in the district who resigned last month, said on Monday, November 20. “The idea was more of, ‘We just want to say we have a DEI Task Force to say we’re doing something — but we’re not actually going to do it.’”

During a Board of Education meeting earlier this month, high school teaching assistant Rachael Smith and high school student supervisor David Almodovar announced their resignations from the DEI Task Force, following in the footsteps of Smith, as well as teaching assistant Natasha Jeffries and intermediate school social worker Sara Ciccariello, who stepped down during a School Board meeting on October 24.

Additionally, parent Anastasia Karloutsos-Lazarakis resigned via email, Shawn Smith said.

“I spoke to a former task force member today, and they shared how hurt they were, and that they expressed their hurt to several administrators several times and they were never acknowledged, not a response,” Rachael Smith said during a Board of Education meeting on November 7. “If several members stepping down from the committee for similar reasons doesn’t lead you to reflect on the message being conveyed, I don’t know what will.”

In 2021, the DEI Task Force took shape with 41 inaugural members, including all but one, Ciccariello, who recently resigned. Together, they created the “Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Strategic Plan,” which largely sought to recognize how prejudice and implicit bias manifests in the district, and develop strategies to address them, among other goals.

But when the time came to develop the next iteration of the plan, it largely fell to the administration with little input from the task force, several former members explained.

“What is frustrating is devoting your time and energy to something, only for those in authority to remind you that your voice is not welcomed at the table,” Jeffries said during the October 24 meeting. “DEI 101 teaches impact over intent. Regardless of intent, if your impact is harmful, you are working against all things DEI.”

As a discipline, DEI is any policy or practice that helps people of various backgrounds feel welcome, ensure that they have support, and provide a sense of belonging. The task force members who resigned, Shawn Smith said, are Black, Hispanic, white and members of the Shinnecock Nation.

“You have people from all walks of life,” he said. “It’s not just one population saying they’re not getting what they want. It’s not one population. It’s across the board.”

According to a list provided by the district, there were 27 members of the current 2023-24 DEI Task Force. To date, Almodovar is technically the only member among them to resign — which Shawn Smith said is due to the remainder simply not showing up to this year’s meetings.

“When all the information came out this summer that we were no longer part of the decision-making, we all said, ‘You know what? We’re not going back,’” he explained.

But that hasn’t stopped them from speaking up now.

“I cannot tell you the last time I have felt safe, seen, really heard or accepted,” Rachael Smith said, addressing the board members. “I would say that it is safe to say that I am not alone in how I feel. Everywhere I turn, there is frustration. There is so much harm and damage that has been done — and until all stakeholders, including the entire board and all administrators, can come together and have those tough conversations, nothing will change.”

Last month, Shawn Smith and Jeffries started a BIPOC Affinity Group, a safe space open to staff members, outside of the administration, who are Black, Indigenous and people of color, he said. There, they can brainstorm, seek support with programming, lean on each other as resources and, if they need, find advocacy.

In the wake of the recent resignations, it is simply a place for people to have a voice, Shawn Smith said. To date, there are 12 members.

“To the task force and to the district, I remind you that this work is not just about our students, but it’s about each and every one of us,” Jeffries said. “This work is about the inclusiveness of us all, and if at any time you make anyone feel unwelcome or excluded, as if their voice doesn’t matter, you are causing harm, and your DEI work is and will be in vain.”