SOUTH DEERFIELD — As the Frontier Regional and Union 38 school districts prepare to implement an equity plan, the districts’ administration shared a draft of it this week to give the Frontier School Committee a preview.

The district, in its current draft of the plan, aims to be more proactive about “closing achievement gaps and promoting a culture of belonging” for the entire Frontier and Union 38 school communities by taking a deep look into staff professional development, curriculum, school data, annual goal setting and community engagement.

“The Equity Plan provides a framework for removing the predictability of success or failure that currently correlates with social and cultural factors including but not limited to: race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion and ability,” the draft states in its purpose and philosophy section. “The Equity Plan provides direction for policies, professional development, curriculum resource selection and data collection, as well as mechanisms for assessment, monitoring and evaluation.”

In the coming weeks, the Conway, Deerfield, Sunderland and Whately school committees will receive the same report presented to Frontier’s committee Tuesday night, and a finalized version will be presented in February.

“It gives us an outline of where we can expect not just the current administration, but future administrations’ focus on equity,” said Frontier Regional and Union 38 Superintendent Darius Modestow. “It is a draft and we are taking feedback on it.”

An audit, conducted by Iowa-based Curriculum Management Solutions Inc., found the schools have a strong base for creating an equitable environment, especially in initiatives undertaken since 2020, but clearer policies and expectations on diversity, equity and inclusion could further the districts’ goals. The audit’s results were delivered in September in a joint meeting of the Frontier Regional and the four Union 38 school committees.

Modestow said the focus on clarity is one of the highest priorities in developing the plan, as the schools “look at delivery and consistency” of the goals.

While the auditors said there was some work to be done, they found the districts’ overall performance and commitment to equity was strong.

“You’re doing a lot of tremendous good in the district and you should be really proud of that,” Curriculum Management Solutions’ Jim Ferrell said in September. “A lot of work has been done. The stakeholders generally agree the district is moving in the right direction.”

To conduct the audit, Curriculum Management Solutions collected the districts’ demographic data, student work samples, school policy plans and surveys. The districts also opted into optional auditing methods, which included interviewing administrators, school committee members and other stakeholders in the district.

While Modestow noted the equity plan is “not a public-facing document,” Frontier School Committee Chair Melissa Novak emphasized the importance of ensuring the equity plan, as well as the actions that come out of it, are coming from a proactive place, rather than serving as the district’s reaction to inequity.

“We want this to be a space where we’re creating a place for everyone to be comfortable and to learn at their potential,” Novak said.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.