Diversity & Inclusivity
From its founding, Carolina Friends School has sought to be a vibrant, dynamic, and diverse community.
We believe that an inspiring and inclusive education can only be fully realized through a learning community that provides diversity in many ways. Motivated by this belief, we strive to be better. This work is central to each role, particularly our human resources and admissions staff.
Our staff Diversity & Inclusivity Committee leads us in our all-school efforts to increase the racial diversity of Carolina Friends School and maintain a school climate centered on inclusivity and equity.
The story of our School is rooted in the long history of Quakers who worked to eliminate slavery, segregation, and other injustices. From this tradition we were founded in the early 1960’s as one of the first schools in the South deliberately to pursue a policy of racial integration. Our belief in the innate worth of each person and in the uniquely valuable heritage of every cultural group guides our practice as a multicultural community and our commitment to authentic personal relationships and peaceful resolution of conflict, at CFS and in our lives outside of School.
The challenge and goal of Carolina Friends School is to help each student participate fully in a dynamic community of learners, in essence “bringing their whole selves to school.” Through this process, our students strive to understand their own gifts and the gifts of others, to use these gifts to serve and empower, and to seek truth and justice, at CFS and beyond.
The Diversity & Inclusivity Committee has generated an action plan to meet the following goals:
- Recruit and retain more students and staff members of color
- Assess and enhance the curriculum and define race equity goals for each unit
- Provide advanced race equity training for staff members
- Restructure the leadership of diversity, inclusivity, and equity work to be more comprehensive
- Create sustained institutional supports for members of our community