A Closer Look at the Work of Riverdale's DEIB Department

As evidenced by RivSpeaksOut, an Instagram account where current students and alumni shared incidents of discrimination they’ve experienced at Riverdale, Riverdale has a long way to go in order to become a truly equitable institution. Since being named Riverdale’s new Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in July 2020, Ms. Phyllis Dugan and the rest of the DEIB team have worked tirelessly to achieve this vision, publishing an “Institutional Equity Plan” in July 2020 that outlined the department’s goals.

“The administration can always do better,” said senior Awa Diop. “But I think students have had less of an improvement….I feel like [students] have been made aware of issues on campus, but I think it's less about awareness and more about care and whether students actually care about DEIB work or give respect to the stories that they hear.”

Ms. Dugan echoed Diop’s point, expressing that “we need to see students willing to engage in one-and-one conversations with one another about these topics, not just when the opportunity is presented to them during assembly or advisor.”

To create more transparency between students and the DEIB department, The Review is devoting this issue’s front page to some of the DEIB work that goes on behind the scenes at Riverdale, specifically in regards to BIPOC/LGBTQ+ faculty recruitment, restorative justice practices, the implementation of a reporting system, and support for transgender and gender expansive students. We hope readers are inspired to become more involved with this institutional equity work and bring their passion for change to any future learning environments they find themselves in. As Ms. Dugan expressed, “We want our work to help students navigate other places, not just Riverdale.”

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Recruitment and Retention of BIPOC & LGBTQ+ Faculty 

A diverse faculty is central to a school community that values equity and representation. As Dean of Faculty and Upper School English teacher Ms. Shelby Stokes expressed, “I would not be a teacher at an independent school if I had not been a student. It was very important to me, especially as a Black female teacher, to come back to an independent school context to be the teacher I didn’t have when I was a student.”

One of the DEIB department’s major goals is recruiting more BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ faculty. As part of this campaign, the department plans to review the data they gathered from the Exit Interview Survey - an interview given to all departing Riverdale faculty members - and use their findings to make Riverdale a more inclusive environment for potential new hirees. Riverdale’s division heads are also holding retention check-in meetings with current BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ faculty to collect insights into their Riverdale experiences. 

Throughout the past year, the DEIB department has been researching communication firms to assist with a digital media recruitment campaign and has updated all job descriptions to highlight the benefits afforded to faculty at Riverdale.

Promoting Restorative Justice Practices

Restorative justice is a growing practice in schools across the country. Essentially, it is an approach that encourages students and administrators to work together to solve any conflicts regarding injustice, tightening the school community. To work towards implementing restorative justice practices at Riverdale, the DEIB department has held three restorative practice team workshop sessions with administrators and faculty. Ms. Dugan explained that each of these sessions was dedicated to a different goal. 

The first session, “Introduction to the Restorative Paradigm Shift,” honed in on the origins and definition of the concept of restorative justice and emphasized racial equity and relationship-building as core elements of a healthy school community. 

The second session, “Accountability Within a Restorative Justice Paradigm,” built on the idea of collaboration, exploring the idea of instituting change with - not “to” or “for” - others. The participants in the workshop examined how Riverdale as an institution can provide greater accountability when community members experience identity-based estrangement.

The third session, “Whole School Restorative Justice Implementation,” explored the key elements, systems, and structures present within a restorative school community. Participants identified strengths and opportunities within the current school community and considered next steps in the school’s journey. The workshop participants also discussed gathering thoughts from students and faculty at all levels of the school community on how to implement restorative justice practices throughout Riverdale at large. 

Establishing Reporting System For Identity Based Hurt/Estrangement and Harassment

The DEIB department is currently developing the “StopIt” app, website and telephone hotline. Ms. Dugan explained that StopIt “is a centralized way to allow a community member to submit anonymous information regarding a concerning incident. The information submitted to StopIt is usually related to identity-based incidents. StopIt also allows for the documentation of incidents submitted and steps taken, as well as generating real-time metrics and reports.” As of now, StopIt has only been piloted on the River campus for faculty there. The DEIB department is currently waiting for the green light from Head of Upper School Mr. Tom Taylor to be able to pilot it next with Upper School students.

Expanding Documentation Regarding Support for Transgender and Gender Expansive Students

The DEIB department is working alongside Riverdale’s counseling department to develop a Gender Inclusivity Support Plan. According to Ms. Dugan, this document “supports the necessary planning for a student to communicate a change in one or more aspects of their commonly assumed gender status with members of the school community. The plan identifies the various actions that will be taken by the student, school, family, and/or other support providers in the process.” The student will have the opportunity to work with a faculty member from the DEIB or counseling team or another trusted adult that they select to complete the document and confirm shared agreements about using the plan. As Ms. Dugan explained, “This long-term partnership will create conditions for the student to be able to share their authentic self in all areas of their life.”

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Some of the steps on Riverdale’s Institutional Equity Plan are tied to long-term institutional goals, and thus only specific steps leading towards the larger overarching goals will be completed within the school year. The need for some longer timelines is mainly due to the many people that must approve new policies and procedures at Riverdale. However, the DEIB department is continuing to work on these action items consistently.  

As Ms. Dugan emphasized, enacting true change in our community can only occur alongside consistent and honest dialogue with students and faculty/staff. “I'm wondering if students feel enough agency in, say, the student feedback surveys or in conversations with their teachers to authentically and honestly discuss their curricular experiences, especially if they want more and different forms of visible representation in them,” said Ms. Stokes. “I also think we need to proactively create more opportunities for students to weigh in with teachers and administrators about how a curriculum lands-when does the learning feel affirming? When does learning feel harmful, even if that's not the intention?” Ms. Dugan also mentioned that she “wants to know more from students about what is the best way to share updates with them beyond email.” 

       As both Ms. Dugan and Ms. Stokes highlight, the student voice of Riverdale must be loud and clear for the school’s DEIB work to accurately represent the needs of our community.