Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

 

 

Delaware Valley Friends School is committed to building and sustaining a learning community that respects and embraces diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). As a school founded and rooted in the Quaker tradition, we believe everyone possesses an inner light and has inherent worth. Furthermore, we believe that the inclusion of diverse voices leads us to make wiser decisions and enriches the nature of our interactions. We nurture a safe and empowering environment that encourages and values individual expression and collaborative engagement.

 

We recognize our role and shared responsibility in striving to support our community of learners to champion change, eliminate bias, and advocate for the inclusion of and appreciation for all people, regardless of their cultural backgrounds and identities. We joyfully celebrate and are proud of our diverse identities which include (but are not limited to) learning profile, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, family structure, age, national origin, viewpoint, and ability. Our respect for diversity, equity, and inclusion is clear and abundant in our mission, our program, our outreach efforts, and our admission and hiring practices and procedures.

 

It is our aim to promote active participation, empathic understanding, and informed cultural awareness within and beyond the walls of our school.

 

DVFriends Diversity Statement | 2019

 

We proudly affirm the many identities that make up our community, including (but not limited to) learning profile, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, family structure, age, national origin, ability, and viewpoint. We believe our differences are a source of strength.

 

We recognize that DEIB work requires ongoing reflection, inquiry, education, action, accountability, and evolution. As a community, we engage in a variety of learning, practices, activities, and initiatives designed to support diversity, inclusion, and belonging, while achieving equitable outcomes. This work is in keeping with our Friends school identity as captured by the DVFriends Faith and Practice, which highlights the testimonies of Care, Equity, Discovery, Courage and Joy.

 

Our Board of Trustees, staff and faculty receive training and professional development in DEIB related areas. We strive to integrate DEIB practices and principles into all of our ways of being and doing. This year, we are elevating this work through our participation in the following conferences, programming, and curriculum rollout:

Our Affinity Spaces and Belonging Support Groups meet on a regular basis, and aim to foster a strong sense of belonging:

Our parent and caregiver community are vital partners in uplifting DEIB. We invite parents to organize spaces to be in-community based on shared identities and/or lived experiences. To support this connection, DVFriends provides support in various ways for the following parent/caregiver affinity groups:

We continue to use the results of the National Association of Independent Schools AIMS School Climate Survey Data (2025) with future supplemental community engagement surveys to measure school climate and culture, and ensure that DVFriends is a safe space where every member of our community is seen and valued for who they are.

 

Whether you have questions, concerns, feedback, a desire to participate and collaborate, or if something has been sitting on your heart, we’d like to hear from you. This work only grows stronger when it’s shaped by the collective voice of our community. If you’d like to connect, reflect, or inquire, we invite you in. Stop by the office of DEIB or reach out directly.

The School shall not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, age, disability or marital status in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs, or in hiring, use of volunteers or board membership.