Vision
At BH-BL, we affirm the uniqueness of each individual and value individual ways of existing in the world. We are committed to understanding how personal, cultural, and historical aspects of identity contribute to and enrich our school community. We teach individuals to evaluate and reflect upon their cultural viewpoints and assumptions. We are committed to exploring BH-BL’s unique school culture to better understand the experiences of students and adults from diverse backgrounds as well as to challenge ourselves to improve our practices.
Committee
One of the Districts three steering committees (along with Technology and Health & Safety) it is co-chaired by the District’s Chief Diversity Officer and a member of the Teachers’ Association. The rest of the committee is composed of the civil service employees, teachers, students, administrators and BH-BL Board of Education representatives. The Diversity committee is charged with developing and maintaining the District Diversity Plan as well as providing general input, professional development opportunities and making recommendations on matters of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to other SDM committees.
Defining Diversity
Diversity refers to the range of identities that exist in a group of people with the understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing and respecting our individual differences. We are aware of our limitations as a committee and as such, we are committed to continuously growing and developing our definition of diversity.
Some examples include, but are not limited to:
- Age
- Nationality
- Ethnicity/Race
- Culture
- Gender Identity
- Sexual Orientation
- Physical and Mental Ability
- Education
- Professional Experience
- Political Views, Opinions & Affiliations
- Spiritual & Religious Beliefs
- Citizenship
- Location
- Family & Marital Status
- Socio-economic Status
- Job Title, Role or Function
Committee Focus
1. Human Resources
- Increase diversity among our high-quality staff.
- Create a needs assessment to evaluate our hiring practices.
- Devise a hiring statement that reflects the district’s mission/core beliefs.
- Provide professional development opportunities and resources for faculty and staff.
2. Student Experience
- Gauge student experience throughout their time at BH-BL to ensure:
- the personal, cultural, and historical aspects of each individual are valued and celebrated;
- all students feel empowered to access all of the opportunities BH-BL has to offer; and
- the district continuously audits student experience and opportunities.
3. Curriculum
- Examine existing curriculum with a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
- Create a process to evaluate both new and existing resources for cultural responsiveness.
- Provide opportunities to have conversations about diversity and multi-cultural responsiveness at all grade levels and within all content areas.
- Provide professional development that addresses evolving curricular standards.
Diversity Committee Actions
- Develop and analyze a yearly needs assessment of the three goal areas (Human Resources, Student Experience, and Curriculum).
- Collaborate with the Professional Development Committee to assess needs and look for additional PD opportunities.
- Provide more access to DEI resources in the libraries, classrooms, etc.
- Collaborate with departments and committees to evaluate educational opportunities.
- Create sub-committees as necessary to address initiatives within the three goal areas:
- Human Resources (including):
- Hiring/mentoring/retaining employees
- New employee orientation
- Developing the Hiring Process and Training Hiring committees
- Student Experience
- Curriculum
- Human Resources (including):
- Plan diversity training throughout the school year.
- Work with District Communications to share publications and materials with a DEI lens, including building resources.