RESOLUTION to affirm Berwyn South School District 100 Board of Education’s commitment to Equity and Anti-Racism ​

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WHEREAS, Berwyn South School District 100 values each and every student, family, and staff member and is committed to creating an authentic equitable, and anti-racist system that supports, engages, and recognizes all and ​

 

WHEREAS, District 100 has been a leader in creating Welcoming Schools, committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all students, families, and staff regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression; ​

 

WHEREAS, District 100 has been a leader in dual-language and honoring the legacy of biliteracy, biculturalism;​

 

WHEREAS, District 100 has been a leader in providing equitable access to technology to create opportunities for all students to excel;​

 

WHEREAS, continuous learning and growth are pillars in District 100 culture and self-assessment and critique are foundational for growth;​

 

WHEREAS, it is widely known and accepted that racism pervades many systems in society, including education, that foster and normalizes racial inequities;​

 

WHEREAS, creating an equitable and anti-racist resolution requires specific actions to support equitable opportunities, access, experiences, and outcomes in our district for historically discriminated and marginalized groups;​

 

WHEREAS, the Board of Education recognizes that this is the collective work and responsibility of all Board Members;​

 

WHEREAS, the District 100 Board of Education defines racial equity as: when two or more racial groups are standing on a relatively equal footing and justice, freedom from bias or favoritism, the allocation of additional resources to support those most in need; ​

 

WHEREAS, continuous learning and growth are pillars within District 100, Board members are committed to grow through self-assessment, and a minimum of two sessions of professional development related to reducing racial inequity per term year and will: ​

 

• Develop and implement a New School Board Member training program to support individuals new to the role of Board Member.

• Receive high-quality training on topics of, but not limited to, equity, anti-racism, LGBTQIA+ issues and abilities.

• Hold themselves accountable to continue anti-racism self-education as a part of their commitment to students and staff in D100.

• Commit to completing a minimum of at least one book review on topics of “school-boarding”, equity, anti-racism, and U.S. history in relation to marginalized groups including, but not limited to school board meetings. Board members are also encouraged to pursue knowledge in these areas as individuals outside the Boardroom.

• Conduct monthly policy reviews through an anti-racist lens, in addition to the creation of new policies.

• Conduct a financial audit through an equity lens from school to school

• Continue our commitment to improving Spanish language access to Board meetings.

• Commit to be accessible to the community, parents, staff, and students.

• Ensure that the annual budget includes appropriate expenditures to support these measures in an equitable manner;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Berwyn South School District 100 Board of Education commits to doing the continuous work to promote equity and an attitude against racism with the ultimate goal to dramatically increase the opportunity of students in D100 to thrive in an intersectional environment for all students, families, and staff regardless of race, ethnicity, skin color, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. ​

 

Board of Education of Berwyn South School District 100. Dated this 25th day of May 2022​

 

Approved Equity & Anti-Racism Resolution