Fayetteville-Manlius School District has formed its first Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in Education. The committee will support the district’s priority of creating a welcoming school community where everyone feels respected, included, valued and connected.
Forty members have been selected to serve on the inaugural committee, comprised of parents, teachers, students, administrators, support staff and community members. The committee will act as an advisory group to district leaders and its primary focus will be to support the diverse needs of all F-M students, staff and families.
In addition to the committee’s forty members, Ynesse Abdul-Malak and John Palmer, both of who are community members and professors at Colgate University, have been selected to serve as committee co-facilitators.
In October 2022, the district solicited individuals interested in serving on the committee to submit their request for consideration. Each candidate’s interest in equity issues, as well as their passion, knowledge, experience and ability to provide representation to underrepresented groups were taken into consideration by district leaders during the selection process.
The establishment of a DEI committee comes at the direction of a policy that was adopted by the board in May 2022.
The committee will meet at least annually and will hold its first meeting Wednesday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the Eagle Hill Middle School cafeteria. The meeting will not be open for public comment.
To submit questions or comments about the district’s ongoing DEI work, F-M’s Let’s Talk! online platform is available anytime and anonymous submissions are accepted.