AUBURN — A consultant is looking for Edward Little High School and Auburn Middle School to participate in a series of focus groups, dialogues, workshops and training sessions this school year to help reduce bias, harassment and bullying related to race, nationality, religion and other issues.

Steve Wessler, founder of the Center for Prevention of Hate Violence, told the School Committee on Wednesday night that during the 2018-19 school year, he “engaged in an ongoing project” that he has used in seven other cities in Maine “meant to reduce bias, harassment and degrading language” through dialogue.

Wessler said based on focus groups he held outside of school with students, he learned that “there was a significant amount of bias and degrading language, similar to what I’ve found in schools across the country.”

He clarified that the project kicked off well before reporters with The Teacher Project at Columbia Journalism School visited Edward Little High School and wrote an August article about the troubling examples of racism found at the school.

In September, Wessler said he created a seven-step plan to help faculty and students address the issues he found.

Steps include a day-and-a-half of focus groups covering issues such as gender, LGBTQ, disability, body size, socioeconomics and the impact of harassment and bullying on students; a faculty and staff workshop meant to teach how to respond to and prevent harassment, bullying and degrading language; and dialogues between longtime American students and immigrant students on race, nationality, religion and immigration status.

Wessler added that if the focus groups showed “significant issues relating to how boy students treat girl students,” he would recommend “workshops aimed at reducing sexual harassment and the risk of sexual assault.”

After the first six steps are complete, Wessler said Susan Langdon, a professor of psychology at Bates College, will evaluate the data and disseminate the information.

Auburn Superintendent Katy Grondin said there have been discussions on how to create diversity and inclusion committees within the school district and how to properly facilitate it.

Wessler said he was aiming for the focus groups to take place in October and scheduled the faculty and staff workshop for Jan. 21, 2020.

In other business, Grondin shared data from the Auburn School District comparing its graduation rates, proficiency in English/Language Arts and math, and other categories to other districts in Maine.

According to Grondin’s data, which measured information from the 2017-18 school year, Auburn’s school district was below the state averages in four-year graduation rate, English/Language Arts proficiency, math proficiency, and students with disabilities.

The district was above the state’s average in terms of the percentage of economically disadvantaged students and students who were chronically absent.

Auburn’s four-year graduation rate during the 2017-18 school year was 77.9%, nearly 9% lower than the state average of 86.7%, while its English and math proficiency rates were about 10% lower than the state averages.

Resident Laura Garcia suggested that the School Committee look at school districts that have similar data to Auburn but better graduation rates and English and math proficiency, such as Bangor, and “start a dialogue with them to see what they’re doing correctly.”

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net

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