Adrian Harries, who has been principal of Nichols Middle School for five years, is leaving District 65 work on equity development in Community Unit School District 300 in Algonquin.
“I had a unique opportunity to pursue my passion for equity development in District 300 and while it required me to leave my home community it was an opportunity that I was not certain would present itself again in the future,” Mr. Harries told the RoundTable.
Asked how he thought the year at School District 65 would go, Mr. Harries said, “Similar to everyone here in the District, I am concerned with the current state of the world. The pandemic has pushed us to re-imagine how to best educate students while ensuring their safety and the safety of our educators.
“In the midst of this pandemic, perhaps due to the pandemic, our country is moving through one of the worst exhibitions of racial disparity and inequality that we have ever witnessed. It is because of the visibility of the racial divide that I fear for our students of color during this pandemic, wondering if this reimagining will create additional barriers for our students that have been the most marginalized to get adequate access to those resources that they need the most.”
Mr. Harries’s last day at District 65 will be Sept. 8.