The Thacher School

In the 2023 Assessment of The Climate For Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Thacher School, it is stated that "the school works deliberately to ensure that the board of trustees, administration, faculty, staff and student body reflect our country’s diversity."

Thacher will "implement anti-racist and anti-bias education and accountability at all levels of the institution."

Thacher has affinity and allyship groups for both students and parents.

Thacher will "engage an external DEI consultant to provide a full audit of our institutional policies and practices, as well as conduct a complete inventory of our curriculum."

On October 1, 2020, Thacher announced that, "Visiting Anacapa Scholar Dr. Gaye Theresa Johnson is leading faculty professional development in building curricula that actively oppose racism and other forms of oppression and working with the history department to develop an ethnic studies curriculum for all students. All faculty will work with Equity Meets Design on a full DEI inventory of our curriculum beginning this winter."

On February 2, 2021, Thacher announced that "the faculty is participating in a year-long course aimed at developing anti-racist practices and curriculum." In addition, "faculty, administrators, and students have started training sessions in equity-based design."

On October 1, 2020, Thacher announced, "We have engaged Stratégenius, a placement firm specializing in recruiting historically underrepresented groups to independent schools, to audit our hiring, recruitment, and retention processes; provide anti-bias training to all those involved in recruitment and retention work; and to design and run a national search for our next dean of students. We have expanded our group of counselors to include three additional BIPOC therapists specializing in issues of race and identity."

On August 22, 2020, Thacher released a statement on Facebook discussing faculty workshops for inclusion and "restorative justice." This post was also featured on its Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Faculty and Staff that are "student-facing" are required to complete "DEIJ competency standards delivered through an Intensive Training and Professional Model."

On October 1, 2020, Thacher announced that due to a grant from the Will J. Reid Foundation, the school's faculty has incorporated social justice, DEI, and anti-racism in the curriculum.

Thacher will "hire a therapist of color who specializes in issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion."

Thacher will "create a multicultural resource center on campus."

Thacher has many different affinity groups "for those who can identify within the community by using personal pronouns—'I' or 'we'—" and are "led by student activists and supported by faculty within the affinity groups that are actively engaged with their own anti-bias anti-racism journeys."

In 2023, the school published an "Assessment of The Climate For Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Thacher School 2023" report that included goals for furthering DEI practices.

According to the 2023 Assessment of The Climate For Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, "Some community members stated directly that the school was doing 'too much' regarding DEIJ."

Thacher will "hire additional BIPOC faculty and increase their representation in leadership roles."

Thacher will "assemble a DEI task force to guide our ongoing work and to hold the school accountable."

On June 5, 2020, Thacher responded to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery by releasing a statement saying, "We must condemn the racism and anti-black violence that is all too common and stand in solidarity with those who challenge it."

On July 28, 2020, Thacher released a statement saying, "In our recent alum forums and through the alum-created Black, Indigenous, People of Color at Thacher (BIPOC@thacher) Instagram account, I have listened and read as Thacher students and alums of color share their experiences enduring discriminatory and racist acts on our campus perpetrated by adults and fellow students, often tacitly or explicitly condoned by onlookers."

On November 12, 2020, Thacher held an event titled, "Understanding and Disrupting Racial Battle Fatigue." Thacher has also held numerous other events incorporating the concepts of anti-racism.

On July 24, 2019, Thacher announced that its MayHEM courses would have a DEI emphasis.

In September 2017, Thacher hired its first director of diversity and inclusion, and on March 6, 2018, Thacher conducted an interview with the aforementioned.

On April 22, 2021, Thacher released a statement in response to Derick Chauvin's verdict.

On August 18, 2020, Thacher released a statement on Facebook saying, "Our School's mission is to train young men and women in the art of living in a diverse and changing world. As the voices of many in our community have made clear, we have not always been the inclusive and caring environment that we aspire to be. To that end, School leadership and our Board of Trustees are embarking on a process of institutional self-examination with concrete actions to do better for our current students and the generations of students to come." This post was also featured on its Instagram and Twitter accounts.

On June 2, 2020, Thacher released a statement on Facebook stating, "The Thacher community strives to live by the values of honor, fairness, kindness, and truth. In the ugly face of anti-black racism and injustice in our country - its long history and current force - we must begin by telling the truth or there can be no fairness, no kindness, no honor, no change." This post was also featured on its Instagram account.

Regarding DEI, the school's states, "The Thacher School recognizes that our greatest good is dependent on fostering anti-bias anti-racist leaders of tomorrow." It continues by stating the school embraces DEI with "thriving affinity spaces, culturally responsive teaching, anti-bias, anti-racist curriculum, with the elevation and celebration of the richness of the many identities and cultural traditions that comprise our community, with all-gender advisories and residential spaces."

Regarding DEI in classrooms, "Thacher faculty take seriously the work of creating inclusive, culturally-responsive teaching and learning environments."