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Sudbury DEI Commission agrees to draft response after Tri‑District calendar canceled for Yom Kippur
Summary
Following a resident’s letter about scheduling equity, the Sudbury DEI Commission agreed Oct. 9 to acknowledge the mistake and authorized two members to draft a response letter to School Committee chairs and to propose a DEI-approved calendar.
The Sudbury DEI Commission opened a discussion at 7:45 p.m. on Oct. 9 after receiving a resident’s letter criticizing the cancellation of the Oct. 1 Tri-District calendar review meeting. The meeting had been canceled after a social-media post noted a conflict with Yom Kippur; the resident said the subcommittee’s June 6 inaugural meeting coincided with Eid al-Adha and had not been rescheduled.
Janine Taylor summarized the heightened social-media discourse surrounding the cancellation. Chief Nix recommended consistent treatment of religious observances and cautioned that online reaction has diminished the capacity for civil, passionate discussion. The commission discussed concerns about intimidation, safety and the distinction between protected speech and threats.
The commission agreed to acknowledge the scheduling mistake in its reply and to emphasize the commission’s role in supporting and educating the community. Thomas Plihcik proposed adopting a DEI-approved calendar to reduce future conflicts and suggested the commission share it with town committees; Thomas and Isaac Tesfay agreed to draft a letter to School Committee chairs. At 8:45 p.m., Janine Taylor moved to authorize Isaac Tesfay and Thomas Plihcik to draft the response letter; the motion carried with all present responding affirmatively.
What’s next: Isaac Tesfay and Thomas Plihcik will prepare a draft response and a proposed DEI-approved calendar to present at the commission’s next meeting. The commission did not vote to adopt a calendar at this meeting.
