KLSD Equity and Racial Just Team Introduction
September 11, 2020
Dear KLSD Community,
My deepest thanks to all for the collective effort it took to reopen schools yesterday.
While we were doing all the work necessary to reopen, we have remained mindful of the need to focus on equity and to keep our District moving forward as one that embraces all students, staff, and community members.
In the last year, we have been reminded, in the most powerful ways, of the importance of ensuring that all children – regardless of their race, gender identity and expression, culture, sexual orientation, religion, disability, spoken language, and/or socioeconomic status – have equitable access to high quality, nurturing, and inclusive educational experiences at school.
To help us become an ever more equitable organization, we are forming a District-wide Equity and Racial Justice (ERJ) Team. This team will be charged with reviewing and analyzing our policies, practices, and beliefs to ensure that they are supportive of an inclusive and equitable educational experience for all. The team will assess all aspects of equity and access. Where policies, practices, or beliefs seem to be at cross purposes with the nature of this work, the team will develop strategies and approaches to address the area of concern. This advisory team will make recommendations to our Board of Education.
To support our work in this direction, the District has partnered with the Center for Strategic Solutions at the NYU Metro Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools. CSS brings extensive experience and research in this field, along with lessons learned through supporting numerous other school districts in our region.
For the ERJ Team to fulfill its charge, we are seeking individuals representing various stakeholder groups: students, staff, parents, alumni, community leaders, and Board of Education members. Attached to this letter is a summary of the work of equity teams and a brief application. If you are interested in participating, please review the dates and times of this year’s scheduled virtual meetings (Dates are on the application form). Consistent attendance will be critical if our work is to be productive.
The application must be returned by email to Ms. Mary Anne Carroll (mcarroll@klschools.org) no later than Thursday, September 17, 2020.
We anticipate having more interest than available positions on the Team. We will inform those who have been selected by Friday, September 25, 2020. If you are not selected, there will be other opportunities to participate in this work and to remain informed about our progress.
In advance, I thank you for your interest.
Sincerely,
Andrew Selesnick
Description of CSS equity committees.pdf