CASE STUDY – NCAIS Framing the Future 2022

Fending Off the Firestorm

The Padua School, serving 365 students, is a 6-12 school founded in 1962 and located near Castle Rock, CO. With a reputation for a strong middle school program, the school has seen enrollment growth over the past three years, although parents continue to be unhappy with math instruction in the upper grades. And like many schools last spring, Padua found itself part of the Black@ movement on Instagram, where students of color shared their experiences of systemic racism on social media.

Kate Minola, Padua’s head of school for the past five years, met this issue head on. Working closely with the DEIJ Coordinator, communications were sent out to address the posts, as well as a concrete plan for incorporating DEIJ education across all content areas. A DEIJ Task Force, which included trustees, faculty, administrators, parents, and members of the student government, was also convened to provide guidance to the school moving forward.

However, unrest among stakeholders has remained high. Faculty who were called out by name in the Black@ posts are upset there was no direct response from the administration to defend them. Parents of black and brown students have contacted the middle and upper school heads, demanding to know how their children will be protected at school. In addition, an anonymous letter was sent out to the entire Padua community, insisting that the Board and Padua’s administration guarantee that teaching about systemic racism is not a part of the school’s mission, vision, or values. To make matters worse, another significant part of the parent body, including several big donors, came forth with their own letter stating that they did not want either parental interference into academic content or a curriculum that “whitewashes” US history on racial issues. And some of those same parents have contacted individual board members directly.

Small Group Discussion Questions

1) As the head of school, what are the next steps Kate should take to address this issue?

2) What is the role of the individual trustee in this situation?

3) What might be some financial implications for the school moving forward?

4) What are some of the major issues/challenges that are most difficult for your community to confront? How are you negotiating them?