Burlington School District Equity Statement In the Burlington School District, equity means meeting the needs of ALL members of our educational community. Educational equity is a districtwide and individual commitment to an assets-based approach defined by personalized support and equitable access to opportunity. In the BSD, we strive to ensure that everyone receives the support needed to develop socially, emotionally, and intellectually inclusive of race, class, ability, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, language, culture, and creed.
The means to achieve the goal of educational equity in our schools includes:
- Actively work to remove the predictability of success or failure that currently correlates with any social, racial or cultural factors.
- Acknowledge and address bias and discrimination that negatively affect our students, their families, and our staff
- Work to dismantle systems of oppression and white supremacy culture in schools.
- Continually examine and re-examine biases to interrupt and replace inequitable systems, practices, policies, and procedures with those that are just and equitable;
- Create inclusive, anti-racist, culturally relevant curriculum and school environments for adults and children;
- Redistribute District resources based on academic, social and economic data to better serve our most marginalized students and families;
- Partner with students, families and community members to build a truly inclusive community where all voices are included
See the BSD Equity Working Plan 2022-2025 to view objectives and metrics to help meet the goals stated above.
What we are working on…..Fall 2025
-Responsive communication and management of BSD Equity Tickets
-Continue the work of the district Equity Collaborative in partnership with youth leaders and representatives from all sites
-Help to advance the goals of the district Equity Policy
-Fundraising and grant pursuits to create sustainability in programming and to support BSD equity work
-Reviewing and updating the Restorative Code of Conduct
-Support RP Teams, Safety Teams and Designated Employees at all sites
-Use the Equity Tool to vet newly developed policies and convene focus groups of stakeholders
– Partner with Human Resources to offer adult to adult interpersonal conflict repair processes
– Support building-based RP teams
– Offer graduate level courses through a partnership with SNHU
– Partner with building and departmental leaders through ongoing collaboration meetings
– Expand peer mediation through an elementary school pilot
– Design RP circles to be led by students and shared with families
– Join the Strategic Plan Guiding Coalition as representatives of priority area 5
– Help plan and facilitate biweekly Cabinet meetings and quarterly retreats
– Offer professional development to departments on equity, safety, and RP
-Recruit Multilingual students for BTC Pathfinder Program for Summer Session ’26
-Collaboration with Multilingual Department to create a Mini-Pathfinder Program for SY 25/26
-Formation of Middle School Digital Arts Club
-Supporting DtBHS Community Engagement Events/Dinners
-Great Schools Partnership at Eagle Bay Academy
-Support of “Math through Art” Program at Eagle Bay Academy
-Establishment of Eagle Bay Academy YPAR team with support from Up for Learning
-Collaboration with Greater Burlington YMCA to support personal training and exercise for EBA youth
-Creation of new Community Schools Advisory Team in partnership with families and students
– Continue the work of the Public Service Announcement Team with middle and high school student leaders to help create a community of care
– Community Outreach and school supply give away at community events
– Support Peer Mediation at BHS with a focus on new youth recruitment training
– Lead full year YPAR (Youth-led Participatory Action Research) class at HMS
– Sustainability Academy Social Justice Club
– Curate and share resources in monthly equity newsletter for staff
-Create library of restorative learning pathways for staff for self-improvement
– Maintain comprehensive library of restorative learning pathways for students
– Support implementation of student learning pathways in BSD middle schools
-Mentorship of Office of Equity Intern
-Support youth leaders to provide youth-led professional development workshops and serve on focus groups
-Create Youth Leadership Team that meets monthly to continue the work of SRJA
-HHB/Title IX laws, policy, procedural and investigative questions and consultations, HHB/T9 training and resources
-Suspension reviews
-Emergency Preparedness
-Safety team facilitation
-Crisis Response
-Liaison between schools and families when necessary
…………..and more!!!
