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 2024
- Offering youth-led professional development opportunities to teachers, staff and community partners
- Expand Social Justice leadership programs to middle schools
- Offer graduate class on antiracism to BSD staff in partnership with SNHU
- Create new Youth Leadership Team at BHS
- Onboard new Office of Equity youth intern
- Peer Mediation at BHS
- Convene new Equity Collaborative with representatives from each school site/department to work with youth to carry out and oversee the implementation of student recommendations from Summer Racial Justice Academy 5
- Reducing racial and disability disparities in suspensions
- Implementation of learning pathways to students involved in HHB incidents and training of DEs, school counselors and afterschool site directors in the delivery of learning pathways
- Creating a sustainable resourced Summer Racial Justice Academy
- Work in collaboration with Vermont Equity Educators Collective to plan a statewide event “by youth for youth”
- Create library of restorative learning pathways for staff for self-improvement
- Work in partnership with consultants to offer training on anti racist restorative leadership to BSD Cabinet
- Equity/Inclusion Report
- Annual review of Code of Conduct and analysis of suspensions for alignment with Code of Conduct
- Review and update district overall safety plans and BSD Emergency Response Manual
- Provide restorative support for staff to staff interpersonal conflict
- Responsive communication and management of BSD Equity Ticket system
- Train Designated Employees (DEs) at all sites and monitor HHB investigations compliance
- Convene District Safety Team & Rapid Response Drill Team
- HHB and Safety Presentations to all BSD Staff through VECTOR training
- HHB and Safety Presentations to all students during School Safety Week
- Distribute monthly Office of Equity newsletter to staff
- Hold ongoing collaboration meetings with all principals and executive directors
- Examine and change existing policies and procedures that exacerbate inequities
- Work with HR and BEA to promote a system of teacher accountability that prioritizes restorative responses and professional growth
- Work with Black families to create more trusting family to school relationships
- Deliver Professional learning series to ELO site directors
- ……..and more!
