Wayland School Committee receives sweeping update on diversity, equity and belonging work

WAYLAND — May 13, 2026 — Wayland School Committee hears two-hour DEB update and welcomes new members. Diversity, equity and belonging coordinator Caroline Hahn told the committee May 13 that 90 staff across the district have been trained or are scheduled for Tier 1 restorative practices and that the discrimination response protocol logged 49 reports in roughly the first half of the year, with 36 substantiated, the largest share involving race and ethnicity. Superintendent David Fleischman said rising report volume signals the protocol "is being utilized more and it's working," while Assistant Superintendent Betsy Gavron said staff belonging surveys went out at every building this year. The committee welcomed new member Jessica Trawa and approved the consent agenda 4-0 with one abstention before entering executive session on Wayland Educational Association Unit A bargaining.