The Martha s Vineyard Times
Island police complete bias training
Three-day course featured rank-focused classes and community, organization involvement.
Island police completed a three-day training session on implicit and unconscious bias last week.
The training was conducted at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School by Hillard Heintze, a security risk-management firm based in Chicago.
The Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition received a $25,000 grant to fully fund the training sessions, which were prompted by the recent spate of tragic African American killings during police procedures across the country.
The grant comprised $17,000 from the Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation, $7,000 from the Martha’s Vineyard Social Justice Leadership Foundation, and $1,000 from the Social Action Committee of the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center. The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), the Martha’s Vineyard NAACP, and members of Black Lives Matter were also
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Island police implicit bias training set for May
Training will be led by Chicago-based Hillard Heintze.
An implicit and unconscious bias training course for Island police is set to take place in May.
Members of the Island’s six police departments will engage in an implicit and unconscious bias training May 4, 5, and 6.
The training will be conducted on-Island by Hillard Heintze, a security risk management team based in Chicago. Originally scheduled for November, Island police chiefs moved the training to the spring amid COVID-19 concerns.
The Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition received a $25,000 grant to fully fund the training sessions, which were prompted by the recent spate of tragic African American killings during police procedures across the country.
The all-Island school committee discussed ways to expand racial and social justice learning in the Martha’s Vineyard public school system Thursday, adding diversity training, anti-racist curriculums and racial literacy programs to the agenda for the new year.
Plans for expanding diversity programs at the schools have been a topic of discussion at a handful of school committee meetings in the past year, but the conversation took a formal step forward Thursday, when Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition a community-based organization focused on eradicating racism on the Island came before the school committee to share its work.
Assistant superintendent of the Island schools Richard Smith, who is a member of the coalition, said the presentation marked the first steps in a collaborative effort between the schools and the coalition to bring about change in the school system.
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Island schools look to address racism through education
Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition suggests several diversity, equity, and inclusion resources for staff and students.
Borders to Bridges is just one of the multitude of racial literacy programs suggested to Island public schools by the Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition during an All-Island School Committee meeting Thursday.
The Martha’s Vineyard Public School (MVPS) system is working in collaboration with the Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition (MVDC) to bring additional diversity, equity, and inclusion resources to staff and students.
In order to foster a positive learning environment for all students, members of the MVDC suggested several opportunities for both faculty and staff enrichment, along with curricula that promote openness and inclusivity, during an All-Island School Committee meeting Thursday.