The Student Equity and Belonging Council, founded in spring 2024, has quickly started working on its goal of making Oak Park and River Forest High School a place for all students. SEBC students are working on implementing an action plan to address existing problems such as staff diversity and Advanced Placement/Honors classes having fewer students of color.

SEBC students set up a table at OPRF on Jan. 22 during all lunch periods, where they received direct student feedback from more than 100 students on topics ranging from diversity in teachers and AP/Honors classes to experiencing bias at OPRF. 

After the event, SEBC students analyzed the data, which showed that 50% of students said they had only had one to two teachers of color at OPRF, and 8% said they had never had any teachers of color at OPRF. 

The data also revealed that 28% of students said that their AP/Honors classes were not diverse at all, and 43% of students agreed to a statement asking if a teacher/staff member had made them feel uncomfortable about their identity.

SEBC junior and Vice President Caitlyn Coates wasn’t surprised about the data, saying she “ to many of the responses.”

The research project is part of an action plan that SEBC began to craft at the Multicultural Student Achievement Network (MSAN) Conference in East Lansing, Michigan from Nov. 13 to 16. 

At the MSAN Conference, SEBC students were able to “connect with a variety of student equity focused groups from high schools around the country. They even had the opportunity to come up with and present their own action plan with hopes of creating change here at OPRF,” said Brianna Burton, a sponsor of SEBC and a Motivational Mentorship program coordinator.

The main goal of the SEBC action plan is “to make all OPRF students feel a sense of belonging and valued equally by creating inclusive environments and classrooms for both students and teachers,” according to junior and President of the SEBC, Ayanna O’Connor.

So far, SEBC students have been analyzing the hiring process at OPRF. They have received the chance to participate in the hiring process, with students being placed on the hiring board for the first round interview for the next department head of Fine and Applied Arts at OPRF, Burton noted.

Additionally, SEBC students have been working on ensuring that there is accountability for “slip-ups in classrooms by teachers,” Coates added.

As the SEBC continues to grow, Burton aims for the group to target not only increasing belongingness and connectedness at OPRF, but also throughout the entire Oak Park and River Forest community. 

“SEBC is on the come up!” Burton said.