Equity Policy (BP 0415)
The Board of Trustees believes that the diversity that exists among the district's community of students, staff, parents/guardians, and community members is integral to the district's vision, mission, and goals. Addressing the needs of the most marginalized learners requires recognition of the inherent value of diversity and acknowledgement that educational excellence requires a commitment to equity in the opportunities provided to students and the resulting outcomes.
In order to eradicate institutional bias of any kind, including implicit or unintentional biases and prejudices that affect student achievement, and to eliminate disparities in educational outcomes for students from historically underserved and underrepresented populations, the district shall proactively identify class and cultural biases as well as practices, policies, and institutional barriers that negatively influence student learning, perpetuate achievement gaps, and impede equal access to opportunities for all students.
The Board shall make decisions with a deliberate awareness of impediments to learning faced by students of color and/or diverse cultural, linguistic, or socio-economic backgrounds. To ensure that equity is the intentional result of district decisions, the Board shall consider whether its decisions address the needs of students from racial, ethnic, and indigent communities and remedy the inequities that such communities experienced in the context of a history of exclusion, discrimination, and segregation. Similar consideration shall also be extended to students of differing religions, national origin, students with disabilities, and of both sexual orientation, and gender identity. Board decisions shall not rely on biased or stereotypical assumptions about any particular group of students.
- Routinely assessing student needs based on data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds in order to enable equity-focused policy, planning, and resource development decisions, and in order to create an environment that will allow for continuous improvement of student outcomes.
- Analyzing expenditures and allocating financial and human resources in a manner that provides all students with equitable access to district programs, support services, and opportunities for success and promotes equity and inclusion in the district. Such resources include access to high-quality administrators, teachers, and other school personnel; funding; technology, equipment, textbooks, and other instructional materials; facilities; and community resources or partnerships.
- Enabling and encouraging students to enroll in, participate in, and complete curricular and extracurricular courses, advanced college preparation programs, and other student activities.
- Building a positive school climate that promotes student engagement, safety, and academic and other supports for students.
- Adopting curriculum and instructional materials that accurately reflect the diversity among student groups.
- Providing and/or collaborating with local agencies and community groups to ensure the availability of necessary support services for students in need.
- Promoting the employment and retention of a diverse staff that reflects the student demographics of the community.
- Providing district staff with ongoing, researched-based, professional learning and professional development on culturally responsive instructional practices.
- Conducting program evaluations that focus on equity and address the academic outcomes and performance of all students on all indicators.
The Board shall regularly monitor the intent and impact of district policies and decisions in order to safeguard against disproportionate or unintentional impact on access to district programs and achievement goals for specific student populations in need of services.
