The Friends School of Atlanta is committed to diversity and community far beyond the traditional practice of inclusion.
Guided by the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship, we are a diverse, welcoming community of learners and seekers. Our teachers and students work to educate and be educated by children from a broad spectrum of racial, economic, ethnic and religious backgrounds as well as differing physical abilities and family structures. As a result, the student body is among the most diverse of any independent school in the Southeast.
Beloved Community
As we strive to create what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called “the beloved community,” we purposefully engage in self-evaluation and reflection. We are resolved to nurture, maintain, and expand diversity in our faculty, administration, Board members, parents/caregivers and student body. We challenge ourselves to become a leading example of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice in Atlanta and the larger educational community.
Student Programing
Our curricular attention to DEI is rooted in our Quaker values and informed by ongoing research that confirms the benefits for all children of creating and sustaining a learning community that recognizes, explores, and celebrates the diverse identities and backgrounds of the people we meet both within and beyond our campus. Our elementary and middle school programs offer a broad range of opportunities for students to engage in this essential work of learning about themselves and the world. Examples of these educational opportunities include (but are not limited to) a PreK4 and Kindergarten discovery class taught by the director of DEI that highlights culture and diversity through picture books and crafts; a third-grade social studies unit exploring the history of environmental stewardship among Indigenous Americans and present-day environmental activism movements led by Indigenous youth; and a middle school global citizenship course that highlights concepts such as faith and (injustice)and understanding and dismantling white supremacy.
The office of DEI partners with other campus offices to bring prominent speakers, authors, and performers to campus for classroom visits and community celebrations.
Faculty and Staff Professional Development
In addition to required, in-house professional development and cultural competency training, many of our faculty and staff members choose to participate in SEED. Additionally, faculty and staff have access to all workshops provided through Pollyanna. Faculty and staff are also encouraged to attend additional conferences and trainings that further strengthen their knowledge and skills related to furthering equity and inclusion in their curricula, classrooms, and workspaces.
Parent/Caregiver Involvement
Parents/caregivers are involved in planning and running various activities that enhance diversity, equality, inclusion, and belonging and support beloved community ( e.g,. donation drives, service opportunities, cultural and social events).
Our mission is to enhance and celebrate the cultural diversity of Asian-American families and children at FSA by promoting educational, social and cultural events and to ensure that the unique voices and identity of the AAPI diaspora and allies are elevated in a safe and inclusive way within the FSA community.
The mission of the Jewish Family Affinity Group is to provide an opportunity for FSA Jewish families to meet and socialize in order to create a sense of community.
The mission of the FSA Neurodiversity Group is to connect families of FSA students who are or may be neurodivergent. The group aims to offer a space where parents/caregivers of neurodivergent students can come together, share their experiences, learn from each other, and connect to support their children’s social, emotional, and academic success.
Our mission is to support the LGBTQIA+ community at FSA, including LGBTQIA+ students, staff, parents/caregivers, and parents/caregivers of LGBTQIA+ students. We will do this through FSA community events and providing support for parents/caregivers, students and staff.
Our goal is to support an environment at FSA which is welcoming to all people of all backgrounds. This group will hold space for teaching and learning about race no matter where we are in our journey. We also want to allow people to explore their racial identity and support the unique needs of white parents to understand the impact of whiteness on their children and diverse communities. This group is aligned with the work of SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity Project) at FSA, which describes affinity groups as important because of the, “different work that each of us has to do to develop our own racial understanding as well as our abilities to resist and dismantle systemic racism.” We believe that by doing meaningful work within affinity we can do better across our differences. We recognize that occasional conversations are not enough; the work of becoming anti-racist is ongoing and leads ultimately to enacting racial justice in the world around us.