Royal Oak Schools reports DEI professional development, Reading Rocks and religious diversity trips
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Summary
The district’s DEI coordinator updated trustees on recent and upcoming training, including Michigan’s LGBTQ+ Students Project for coaches, county-level webinars on sustaining DEI work, and plans for a Feb. 27 African American Read-In and a month-long March Reading Rocks tour.
Ashley Phillips, the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator, briefed the board Feb. 13 on local and regional DEI work, professional development and cultural-education events.
Phillips described recent training through the Michigan Department of Education’s LGBTQ+ Students Project, including a session called “Upping Your Game: How coaches and athletic directors can support the full participation of LGBTQ+ student athletes,” and summarized practical guidance offered to coaches: prepare and self-reflect, model respectful behavior, set clear expectations for teams and parents, and respond promptly to incidents so students are supported.
She said the district also participated in webinars on sustaining K‑12 DEI initiatives and sessions with Oakland Schools focused on systems of inequity and critical self‑reflection for leaders. Phillips emphasized building relationships with families, ensuring inclusive accommodations at events and using multiple communication channels to reach parents who cannot attend school events in person.
Upcoming and recent community events highlighted by Phillips included:
• An African American Read‑In with author Jacqueline Woodson by Zoom on Thursday, Feb. 27, 6–8 p.m.; students K–12 were invited and library sign-up information was being coordinated.
• A month‑long Royal Oak Schools Reading Rocks tour in March, expanding from a shorter volunteer tour the prior year. Board members and staff will serve as mystery readers in classrooms.
• Religious diversity journeys and a rescheduled Hinduism journey and Holocaust Museum visit; two Grama Middle School students, Owen and Brody, gave brief testimonies about their Temple Israel visit, citing the Torah and a mock wedding reenactment as memorable experiences.
Phillips said the district will continue partnering with outside experts, including Kim Knope, for DEI professional development next year. Trustees thanked Phillips for the work and for maintaining DEI programs in a “changing landscape.”