Wayland Will Conduct Town-Wide Equity Assessment

WAYLAND, MA — Wayland will soon begin a town-wide equity assessment, which follows several high-profile incidents linked to race and sex in town.

The Wayland Select Board on March 6 voted to fund the town-wide equity assessment, which the Wayland Human Rights, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee recommended in December.

The town's 16-member DEI committee was established two years ago to help Wayland improve policies and systems that could help the town become an "anti-racist and ethnically unbiased community."

"The town has experienced a number of high-profile events, which in turn has required us as town leaders to take a hard look at what we do to help move this community forward," Wayland Town Manager Michael McCall said in a news release.

Wayland is also planning an upcoming community conversation on diversity and equity issues. That event will be hosted by a professional facilitator, according to the town.

The DEI committee's recommendation to conduct a town-wide equity assessment came a week after a December in incident where a racial slur targeting Superintendent Omar Easy was found spray-painted at the town pool. Racist graffiti was also found at the middle school in 2021.

Easy has since filed a discrimination complaint against the town after he was placed on involuntary leave in February.

Wayland's former police chief, meanwhile, was placed on leave one year ago after he was accused of sexual harassment. Sean Gibbons agreed to resign last fall, although he has denied any wrongdoing.

"Wayland has always been a welcoming community, however, it is simply not enough to make inclusionary statements," Select Board Chair Cherry Karlson said in a news release. "We need to show a commitment to the importance of this issue. The Select Board fully understands that there is more work to do, and I believe we are on the right path to making Wayland a community where all residents and employees feel they belong."