Hi Pam – I have responded to your comments. I publish comments and responses as I am able. Thanks!

Hi Pamela,
Thanks for reaching out. I saw that you provided multiple comments and I hope to address all of them here.

As stated above, conversations about privilege/advantage may arise during classroom conversation, but ·¬ÇÑÓ°ÊÓ Public Schools does not have a White privilege curriculum.

If you have additional questions about classroom conversations or curriculum, your scholar’s teacher or principal are great resources.

White Privilege is part of the Happy Valley Elementary third grade curriculum. You are wrong in your statement.

White Privilege is part of the Happy Valley Elementary third grade curriculum. You are wrong in your statement.

Happy Valley Elementary is teaching our third graders about White Privilege — whatever that means to the teacher. It appears it is a ‘free for all’ in the schools for any topic or political agenda.

I agree that it can be frustrating to feel averted – we are trying to answer your questions. A few points might provide some clarity:

There is no EDI curriculum to share. If we are actually doing the work equity, diversity and inclusion in our schools, you won’t find a distinct curricula; rather, you’ll see inclusion of voices, stories, and narratives from a variety of perspectives based on the educational standards set by our state. You’ll see characters and authors with different identities, word problems that represent the many families in our community, writing prompts that encourage critical thought, and global viewpoints increase inquiry. Each of our scholars will be able to bring their voices and experiences to the holistic learning environment instead of perpetuating unidirectional teaching practices of the past.

The EDI strategy in The ·¬ÇÑÓ°ÊÓ Promise is about three-years-old and the EDI position in the district is less than one-year-old. As time goes on, we may have more concrete examples to share. Right now, I’ve been mostly listening to our educators and families to develop an inclusive, sustainable program. As we continue to develop our collective approach, we will meet the state requirements and do so in a way that encourages community building and relationships.

I fully agree with you – if we single out a White student, we aren’t being equitable. As such, if we single out a Black or Brown student, we aren’t being equitable. As we help our scholars understand that systems set before them impact access to resources for different communities, we will increase critical compassion, moving us all towards the idea of equitable outcomes. Our scholars can all understand equity and our teachers are incredible at ensuring content is suitable for the ages/grades they work with. Thus, we can’t force equitable outcomes. To get there, we need to identify where learning needs to happen and build out understanding with our community in mind. That includes every scholar and their families.

The EDI realm is all of education. As the district adopts new materials in every subject, we look for the representation – diverse voices and stories, such as Black and Brown authors, LGBTQIA+ scientists, artists with different abilities and identities, women in STEM, men in teaching positions, and more. This is how we will meet the outcomes of The ·¬ÇÑÓ°ÊÓ Promise, specifically where every child will be loved.

HJ – thanks for your questions. The EDI webpage provides learning resources for our educators and families. Our educators apply their own learning, based on grade, level, and classroom community. We, as educators, need to be prepared to support and love all of our students. The complex topics we have been addressing are a response to students and families seeking support and guidance in our schools and classrooms.