District forms Coalition to Combat Hate to develop a roadmap on bias incidents and belonging

Westwood Public Schools leaders described the formation and early work of a Coalition to Combat Hate at the May 14 school committee meeting, framing the effort as both response and prevention.

Latifah Frank, director of equity, integration and community partnerships, said the steering committee will move through three phases: grounding the coalition in a shared problem statement, developing a theory of action, and then implementing concrete steps covering curriculum, policies/practices and community outreach. The coalition defined three core concerns: (1) dehumanizing expression (hate/bias graffiti, slurs and harassing behavior), (2) normalization or minimization of incidents by segments of the community, and (3) the need to expand focus beyond race and religion to include students with disabilities and LGBTQ+ students.

Frank said the May 26 meeting will finalize the coalition’s theory of action and working groups; the district plans two June sessions (morning and evening) to allow broad participation and will offer a hybrid option. Early deliverables are organized into four buckets: a strategic roadmap for systematic responses, shared language and protocols, and actionable tools for immediate incident response and longer‑term mitigation. The coalition plans summer work by subgroups on curriculum, policy and communications to prepare fall deliverables.

School committee members praised the first meeting’s energy and urged the district to engage town leadership and other boards beyond the schools to ensure a whole‑community approach. Frank said about 60 people expressed interest in participating and emphasized that the coalition intends both rapid response tools and sustained, structural work.

The committee asked that the district ensure family participation and make meeting times and hybrid options accessible; Frank said community members and caregivers will be welcome at the June sessions.