Creating inclusive environments for all
Dear District 65 community -
This week our educators and families will engage in family-teacher conferences which represents an important partnership between home and school. When our students come to school each day, they are not just learning how to multiply fractions, express themselves through art, or comprehend complex texts. They are learning how to respect and celebrate each other’s differences, navigate the world around them, and treat one another with kindness and empathy. Explicitly and implicitly, our students learn from their peers and adults how to be good, caring people.
I want to take this opportunity to reaffirm and emphasize our commitment to safe, joyful, and inclusive schools. Our students and staff members have diverse identities and represent many cultures, ethnicities, and religions from every corner of our world. While I believe this is what makes our community so special, I also believe it is used to fuel division within our society at large and perpetuate harm to our most marginalized communities.
On occasion, I hear concerns about children feeling vulnerable, unsafe, or even unseen simply because of who they are. This should be deeply troubling to every one of us. When this occurs, we have caring and knowledgeable school-based teams who step in to provide the necessary and multi-faceted support. Overall this is unacceptable and any type of discrimination, hate, or violence is absolutely not tolerated in District 65.
Our most important work in District 65 is ensuring that every child feels safe at school and accepted for who they are. Until this is true for every member of our community, our work will never be done. We will continue to cultivate community in a variety of ways, including:
- Social emotional learning for all PreK-8th grade students. These are taught by our classroom educators and also include time for community building. See what our social emotional learning looks like with this short video!
- Behavior support designed to teach, nurture, and encourage positive social behaviors, including skills to better manage tension and conflict when they arise.
- Professional learning for staff, including equity and inclusion work that focuses on conscious and unconscious bias and changing policies and procedures that have historically marginalized students.
Just as it can be hard for adults to separate their home and professional lives, the same can be true for students at school. We know that current events within our local community, nation, and our world have a direct connection and immediate impact on our students, staff, and neighbors. Resources and support are available at all schools to ensure we are providing an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone who walks through our doors.
Our young people give me so much hope for the future, and I am grateful for the love and care you provide them so they can thrive in school. I thank you for everything you do to support this vital work.
Warmly,
Dr. Angel Turner (she/her)
Superintendent