EXCLUSIVE: Massachusetts school district offers 'BIPOC' affinity group for staff members

WESTWOOD, Mass. (CITC) — A Massachusetts school district is sparking outrage with an affinity group designed for "BIPOC" staff members learning how to work "in predominantly White schools."

Westwood Public Schools began offering its "BIPOC" affinity group in 2020. The school district describes the group as a way to "give affirmations of identity that provide professional development and networking," according to documents obtained by advocacy organization Parents Defending Education (PDE) and shared exclusively with Crisis in the Classroom (CITC).

Affinity groups are also traditionally described as a group of individuals "linked by a common purpose, ideology or interest."

Westwood invited all educators who "identify as BIPOC" to join the affinity group at the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year, according to the documents. In an email sent to staff members, an official stated the district is looking to support "BIPOC" employees "by way of representation," noting that "a minority requires affirmation."

The email also stated Westwood is looking to "positively impact" its hiring and retention of "talented educators of color" through the affinity group.

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"Providing a safe space for staff of color to share experiences while reviewing data, providing productive tools to dismantle negative experiences surrounding bias and continuing to celebrate our diversity that is a gift given to our district are some of the objectives for our affinity group," the email read.

PDE disagrees with the sentiments, arguing schools should never "be separating students or staff into groups based on race for any reason."

“Affinity groups were created to systematically segregate students and staff by their race," Casey Ryan, a staff writer for PDE, told CITC. "Segregation as an idea has been widely accepted as wrong for 60 years and does not belong in public education. The only purpose of bringing it back is to proportionally benefit one group of people over another.”

Westwood is not the only Massachusetts school district to promote affinity groups. Boston Public Schools and Public Schools of Brookline were recently found to be providing resources and guidelines related to affinity groups online, with both placing an emphasis on creating "anti-racist" spaces.

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Wellesley Public Schools, a Boston-area district, ended its own affinity groups in 2022 after settling a lawsuit with PDE. The organization originally sued Wellesley over alleged violations of, among other things, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through the groups.

Proponents of affinity groups have argued they foster diversity and inclusion in workplaces, leading to improved employee performance and satisfaction. Several major corporations, including JP Morgan Chase, McKinsey & Company and Amazon, currently offer forms of affinity groups.

CITC reached out to Westwood for comment. but did not receive a response prior to publication. This story will be updated if a response is received.

Have something for the Crisis in the Classroom team to investigate? Call or text the national tip line at 202-417-7273.