• The Office of Equity strives to be an office of accountability, transparency and support. In keeping with our founding principles, here are our benchmarks.
     
    • Presented Racial Equity Assessment and Action Plan to the School Board and the public on September 7, 2022. The School Board approved our Racial Equity Action Plan on September 7, 2022.
    • Created & developed school district Equity & Antiracism web page
    • In keeping with our Office of Equity transparency principle, we posted our Racial Equity Assessment to the school district website. 
    • Trained school board, new staff, current staff, administrators and executive team on uprooting white supremacy culture (ongoing)
    • Partnered with SBSD Curriculum Director to create and develop focus groups with a racial, cultural & diverse lens to education & learning (ongoing)
    • Partnering with PBIS Committee to uproot Anti-Black racism and racial discrimination in student behavior practices (ongoing)
    • Partnered with IT to develop and track race-based data to uproot racism and impede further racial harm (ongoing)
    • Reviewed & analyzed current curriculum for racial bias and discrimination with teaching and administration staff (ongoing)
    • Reviewed new racially, culturally & diverse inclusive curriculum to be evaluated, analyzed and approved for 2023 (ongoing)
    • Partnered with Director of Curriculum and hired a local diversity and Antiracism consultancy to conduct employee surveys, racial research, restorative practices, lead affinity groups for staff and develop data on race and diversity research
    • Met with various community stakeholders to vet for volunteer services to SBSD via HR policy and protocols
    • Currently partnering with SBSD Executive Director of Educational Support to conduct training with IDT team on how to uproot the deeply embedded white supremacy culture in special education within SBSD
    • Met with a consultancy group to develop a cohesive strategy to uproot the deeply embedded misogyny culture within SBSD (ongoing)
    • Partnered with HR to create and develop equity strategies for staff
    • Partnering with school-based administrators to provide support for SBSD students and families involving sensitive issues, inequities and matters around bias, discrimination, accountability, barriers to equity and access 
    • Met with SBSD Black, Brown, Indigenious and Students of Color to discuss what Equity and Antiracism practices and policies they would like to see implemented at SBSD (ongoing)
    • Established the Black Student Union high school chapter in South Burlington.
    • Established SBSD staff Antiracism task force to write policy and procedures to support and advocate for Black, Brown, Indigenous, Staff and Students of Color
    • Established SBSD staff Diversity task force to write policy and procedures to support and advocate for differently abled staff and students, LGBTQIA+ staff and students, female staff and students, military staff and students 
    • Met with Agency of Education and SBSD Executive Director of Educational Support to discuss why Black students are continually and yearly over identified for special education in SBSD.
    • Meeting with Agency of Education (AOE) and SBSD Executive Director of Educational Support to develop an Action plan to uproot these long standing Anti-Black racist school practices. (ongoing)