Racial Equity Board Policy Adopted
Board Approved: 08-05-2020
Acalanes Union HSD Board Policy
Racial Equity
BP 0415.1
Philosophy, Goals, Objectives and Comprehensive Plans
The Governing Board believes that addressing the needs of all District students requires a commitment to racial equity in the opportunities and learning environment provided to students and the resulting outcomes.
Historic and persistent opportunity gaps between different AUHSD racial and ethnic student groups is unacceptable and suggests an unfulfilled promise that has profound consequences. The Board recognizes the complexity of the historic and present-day societal factors that contribute to these disparities, but believes it is a moral imperative to overcome these inequities and injustices. Race must cease to be a reliable predictor of student achievement, school experience and success through prioritized and intentional efforts for racial equity and antiracism.
In order to address and overcome institutional racism and barriers to achievement, including implicit or unintentional biases and prejudices, and to eliminate disparities in educational outcomes for students of color, the District shall proactively identify practices, policies, and institutional systems that negatively influence student learning, perpetuate opportunity gaps, and impede equal access to opportunities for all students.
(cf. 0000 - Concepts and Roles)
(cf. 0100 - Philosophy)
(cf. 0200 - Goals for the School District)
(cf. 0410 - Nondiscrimination in District Programs and Activities)
(cf. 5145.3 - Nondiscrimination/Harassment)
The Board and the Superintendent or designee shall develop and implement policies and strategies to promote racial equity and interrupt institutional racism in District programs and activities, through measures such as the following:
- Routinely assessing student needs based on achievement, discipline, attendance, connectedness and other school experience data disaggregated by race and ethnicity in order to enable racial equity-focused policy, planning, and resource development decisions.
(cf. 0400 - Comprehensive Plans)
(cf. 0460 - Local Control and Accountability Plan)
(cf. 6162.5 - Student Assessment)
- Building a positive school climate that promotes student engagement, safety, a sense of belonging and inclusion, healthy racial identity, as well as providing academic and social-emotional support for students. Implementing school policies that prohibit racial slurs, epithets, symbols, and other forms of racist speech (in particular, the N-word).
- Providing reporting systems for incidents of racism and administering clear, transparent and timely consequences, including restorative practices.
- Teaching, encouraging and modeling the responsible use of social media for all students, as well as informing students about the consequences of inappropriate posts.
(cf. 5137 - Positive School Climate)
- Adopting curriculum and instructional materials that accurately reflect perspectives of the racial and ethnic diversity among students, and examining and addressing the historical Eurocentric curricular and course offerings institutional bias.
(cf. 6141 - Curriculum Development and Evaluation)
(cf. 6161.1 - Selection and Evaluation of Instructional Materials)
- Implementing special instructional and learning programs with regularity (academy, seminar, assembly, Human & Social Development) for all students to examine racial identity, white privilege, and institutional racism.
- Setting goals and reporting on progress towards the employment and retention of a diverse certificated, classified and administrative staff that reflects the student racial and ethnic demographics.
- Engaging Districtwide parent committee and implementing parent education to examine and support efforts for racial equity and antiracism and culturally appropriate relations between school and home.
- Providing consistent opportunities for students and families of color to share school experience and identify barriers to racial equity.
- Committing to the alignment of racial equity priorities to District and school site budgets.
- Analyzing program engagement (including Advanced Placement, honors, special education, 504, CTE, STEM) for participation by race and ethnicity and actively addressing disproportionality.
- Providing district staff with ongoing, researched-based, professional learning and professional development on race, institutional racism, protocols for conversation about race, explicit and implicit bias, racial macro and microaggressions, critical bias-review of curriculum, opportunity gap analysis, and culturally responsive instructional practices
(cf. 4131 - Staff Development)
(cf. 4231 - Staff Development)
(cf. 4331 - Staff Development)
Accountability
The Governing Board directs the Superintendent to develop and implement a system-wide racial equity plan with clear goals, actions, accountability and metrics, which will result in measurable academic and school experience improvements for AUHSD students. The Superintendent or designee shall annually report progress on the plan and outcomes.
(cf. 0500 - Accountability)
The Governing Board shall regularly monitor the racial intent and impact of district policies and decisions on District students in order to safeguard against disproportionate or unintentional impact on access to programs and achievement goals for specific student populations in need of services.
Individuals wishing to submit a racial discrimination complaint may follow the procedures in AR 1312.3 - Uniform Complaint Procedures and contact the Associate Superintendent, Administrative Services. Administration shall investigate and resolve complaints regarding access to District programs, services, activities, or facilities.
Associate Superintendent, Administrative Services
1212 Pleasant Hill Rd.
Lafayette, CA 94549
(925)280-3900
adminservices@auhsdschools.org
(cf. 1312.3 – Uniform Complaint Procedures)
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
200-262.4 Educational equity
52077 Local control and accountability plan
60040 Selection of instructional materials
GOVERNMENT CODE
11000 Definitions
11135 Nondiscrimination in programs or activities funded by state
PENAL CODE
422.55 Definition of hate crime
422.6 Interference with constitutional right or privilege
CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 5
4900-4965 Nondiscrimination in elementary and secondary education programs
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 42
2000d-2000d-7 Title VI, Civil Rights Act of 1964
2000e-2000e-17 Title VII, Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended
2000h-2000h-6 Title IX
12101-12213 Americans with Disabilities Act
CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, TITLE 28
35.101-35.190 Americans with Disabilities Act
36.303 Auxiliary aids and services
CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, TITLE 34
100.1-100.13 Nondiscrimination in federal programs, effectuating Title VI
104.1-104.39 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
106.1-106.61 Discrimination on the basis of sex, effectuating Title IX
Management Resources:
CSBA PUBLICATIONS
Meeting California's Challenge: Access, Opportunity, and Achievement: Key Ingredients for Student Success, 2017
The School Board Role in Creating the Conditions for Student Achievement, 2017
African-American Students in Focus: Closing Opportunity and Achievement Gaps for African-American Students, 2016
African-American Students in Focus: Demographics and Achievement of California's African-American Students, 2016
Latino Students in California's K-12 Public Schools, 2016
Research-Supported Strategies to Improve the Accuracy and Fairness of Grades, 2016
Climate for Achievement Governance Brief Series, 2015
Math Misplacement, 2015
CENTER FOR URBAN EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS
Protocol for Assessing Equity-Mindedness in State Policy, 2017
WEB SITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
California Department of Education: http://www.cde.ca.gov
Center for Urban Education: http://cue.usc.edu
Safe Schools Coalition: http://www.casafeschools.org
Policy ACALANES UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: August 5, 2020
