The school is reaffirming their commitment to their mission of diversity, equity and inclusion amid a shifting political dialogue around such efforts. Although the school has not sent out a formal letter to the entire school community, leaders within the administration have emphasized that the school will continue its mission-centered diversity, equity and inclusion work, President Rick Commons said.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion have long been essential values for our school,” Commons said. “We stand by those values as we define them and as we express them in the work that we do here at our best. We will use [these values] to continue to take care of students and take care of this community, but we need to slow down and define [these values] in this world of controversy over DEI. We need to slow down, say the words and define them.”
Although the school is not subject to government scrutiny over such policies since they do not receive federal funding — unlike several U.S. universities and colleges — the school may be susceptible to civil rights laws that are being reinterpreted under the Trump administration and pertain to the school through its admissions and hiring practices. The school has to be “very, very conscious” while navigating civil rights laws, now that diversity, equity and inclusion practices in institutions across the U.S. are being challenged, Commons said.
Commons spoke at faculty meetings at both the Middle and Upper School and emphasized the school’s commitment to upholding its values of diversity, equity and inclusion. He said the most important thing when upholding such values is to define what the school means in each word, rather than reduce them into the acronym “DEI”, which has been stigmatized in politics.
“The federal government is concerned about discrimination against different groups in the name of DEI,” Commons said. “We want to do our work around diversity, equity and inclusion in a way that is thoughtful, complex, doesn’t alienate other people, doesn’t shame people, and does not discriminate, but instead seeks that belonging, seeks that diversity that makes us a more excellent institution and creates equity of opportunity.”
Head of School Laura Ross said abiding by the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion principles is a core part of the school’s mission statement and ever-present in the school’s goal of education.
“If you look at our mission statement, it states we strive to be a diverse and inclusive community,” Ross said. “If you think about the equity part, the way we see that concept is that anyone we have in this community should be given an equal opportunity to succeed. A really important example is need-based financial aid. You can’t give up on things that help every student have the opportunity to be able to be successful here.”
Student Leaders for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (SLIDE) co-chair Dylan Wuo ’25, along with other SLIDE co-chairs, recently spoke to the administration with other co-chairs about the recent SLIDE town halls, which gathered feedback from affinity groups about how they believed the mission of diversity, equity and inclusion was being upheld on campus.
Wuo said he appreciates the school’s commitment to upholding its values and supporting SLIDE and other affinity groups in wake of recent political events.
“With everything that’s going on politically and how that’s affecting us as a school, it can get very chaotic,” Wuo said. “Reaffirming what basis we stand on is important to get everyone on the same page. A lot of people are unclear about what’s happening and we just want us to take a step back and say, ‘here’s where we are right now,’ and ‘this is where we can look forward and where are headed to.’”
