Our Response to the Easton Courier Article on Dr. Harrison 7/10/2021
Less than a year ago the three Boards of Education voted unanimously to hire Superintendent Dr. Rydell Harrison. In addition to running the schools, he was expected to implement “equity” initiatives, some started by the former Superintendent, and others developed later and championed by members of the ER9 Joint Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
The ER9 DEI Task Force was formed, in part, due to pressure from by the ER9 Social Justice Group, a group of Joel Barlow High School students and recent graduates who authored a 52-page manifesto for reform of Joel Barlow based upon the idea the school was systematically racist in the aftermath of the George Floyd incident.
We, the undersigned, have questioned the Social Justice emphasis of our School Boards and particularly the Joint Task Force on Diversity Equity and Inclusion’s DEI surveys. Our issues have been with our School Boards, not with Dr. Harrison.
As Dr. Harrison said in his letter declining Easton and Redding’s employment offer “Rather than continuing forward as the superintendent, I have decided to pursue opportunities outside of a traditional K-12 setting that will allow me to fully engage my passion for education and commitment to improving outcomes for all students without the heavy burdens of district administration”.
We have also heard Dr. Harrison wanted an increase from his $225,000 salary which our District could not meet.
The Easton-Redding School District requires a lot of administration and management. Its Superintendent is responsible for five schools across two towns. The position involves reporting to three Boards and a lot of late meetings.
Dr. Harrison has accepted a consulting position with the Connecticut Center for School Change. This organization studies schools across the state for “equity” and promotes school reform. They are the consultants we hired to do an “equity audit” of our schools.
Dr. Harrison, in his 2015 Ph.D. thesis (available online) described himself in a section labeled “My personality” on page 69 in these words:
“My leadership approach begins in critical theory and ends in social activism.”
“I am a critical theorist”
“I have adopted a social justice ideology.”
“As a principal with an ethic of critique, the school building is simultaneously my research project; a society in which justice and equality are needed; a Petri dish in which critical theories are born and practiced; and a pulpit from which sermons on high achievement and the love of learning can be preached.”
On page 14 of the thesis Dr. Harrison said:
“This study is framed within Critical Race Theory (CRT) and tenets of intersectionality. Rooted in legal studies, CRT recognizes the level to which racism and oppression is woven into the fabric of American culture and therefore provides a backdrop for the identity formation of adolescents. ”
“The primary purpose of the social construction of race is to create hierarchies in which White individuals are privileged above people of color. McCoy (2013) notes that within this socially constructed hierarchy, White skin places individuals at the top of the hierarchy and Black skin demotes individuals at the bottom.”
Moving to The Connecticut Center for School Change seems like a great career move for Dr. Harrison. It will relieve him of the “heavy burdens of district administration” while allowing him to affect social change in more schools across the State.
Steve Humanick Easton Grant Monsarrat Easton
Megan Micola Redding Lew Andrews Redding
Ed Micola Redding Zach Andrews Redding
John Thornton Redding Luciana Corsello Easton
Louis Berkowitz Redding Bill Jordan Redding
Eric Gebhardt Redding Maxwell Malcy Redding
Suzanne Bohn Redding Rob Santangeli Easton
Ralph Kuhn Easton Kathy Kuhn Easton
Roger Lancaster Redding CLJ Lancasster Redding
Robert Nelson Redding Mary Kubick Redding
Fred Kubick Redding Laura Nelson Redding
Roisin Sullivan Redding Ann Manusky Easton
Dana Benson Easton Pam Caraluzzi Redding
Bart Senior Easton John Belfatto Redding
June Logie Easton Shari Williams Easton
Maureen Hanley Easton David Bohn Redding
William Evarts Redding Richelle Luedee Redding
Kevin Oliver Easton Bill Miller Redding
David Bryant Easton Angela LaPick Easton
Joseph Samon Easton
