Monomoy Regional School officials are examining the next steps for the district after completion of an equity audit by the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium.

Beginning last year, the district undertook an audit to determine successes and growth areas in support of belonging and engagement in all district schools. The goal of the study was to support belonging and engagement throughout the district, according to a press release.

“We have long identified belonging as one of our core values here at Monomoy,” Superintendent Scott Carpenter, who retires at the end of the month, said in a statement, “and this process was an excellent way for us to get a picture of how we are doing putting that into action.”

The consultants solicited feedback from faculty, staff, students, parents, caregivers and community members on academics, relationships, engagement and culture with assistance from the Center for Education Equity. The consultants presented results of the audit to the school committee June 11. Stakeholders reported a supportive learning environment, describing district schools as respectful, inclusive and welcoming. The schools also identified ongoing training of educators using varied instructional approaches to meet different learning needs and address critical educational issues in ways that do not stereotype or stigmatize particular groups, according to the press release.

Areas for growth identified in the study include stronger support for engaging all learners, deeper inclusive and culturally responsive academic systems and stronger consistency of discipline and restorative practices.

The information provided by the study will help school staff and faculty identify the next steps to focus on in the coming school year, said Robin Millen, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment, who will take over as superintendent July 1.

Among the next steps are prioritizing Universal Design for Learning; supporting consistent implementation of classroom and school-level family engagement practices; strengthening the SEL program at Chatham Elementary School and proactively recruiting staff and community members for school council and PTO leadership; improving student safety education at Harwich Elementary School; use advisory discussions to dig into student perceptions of attitude and culture at the middle school; and establish a frequent communications protocol between home and school at the high school, as well as auditing school clubs and activities for inclusivity.

“This was and remains an important process that will allow us to best serve all students, staff, and families in our school community,” Carpenter wrote in an email to the Monomoy community. “We look forward to moving ahead with renewed focus that will celebrate our bright spots and address some of the opportunities for growth identified. We appreciate the engagement of families, students, and staff during the information-gathering phase and are excited to use this data to further support all learners in a process of continuous improvement.”

Most of the funding for the study came from the U.S. Department of Education. Links to the report and the school committee presentation can be found at www.monomoy.edu/our-district/diversity-equity-inclusion-and-belonging/equity-audit.

Monomoy High School and Children’s Cove recently held the last of six sessions with the school's teen TASK (Taking A Stand for Kids) force. The group of eight sophomores worked together to learn about and raise awareness of child sexual abuse issues on the Cape as well as the programs and services that the Children’s Cove provides to victims.

This is the third year of the partnership, according to a press release. Students met with the staff of the Children’s Cove, a Barnstable County department and the Cape’s child advocacy center, as well as with community partners such as the Harwich Police Department and the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office.

Students developed their own community awareness project, and met with students in health classes at the middle school to talk about online and in-person safety as well as healthy relationships. The students facilitated interactive activities at lunch periods to engage with middle school students.

This year’s TASK force members include Ava Pina, Daejah Williams, Maddy Swett, Payten Rogovich, Davion Dawkins, Paige Meyer, Kaitlyn Robertson and Layla Braman.

With four new members, the Monomoy School Committee recently reorganized its leadership. Chatham representative Brad Schiff was elected chair with Harwich rep Ryan Edwards as vice chair. New members of the committee are Heather Morgan and Lucia Quinn of Chatham and Katie Cutter and Rich Roy of Harwich. Stephen Davol and Brett Fortin make up the rest of the committee, along with nonvoting student representative Daniel Morgan. The board thanked departing members Meredith Henderson, who served for more than nine years; Jackie Zibrat-Long, who spent more than a decade on the committee, and Betty Gray and Ryan Clarke.