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Bend-La Pine Schools' Board of Directors passed the following resolution during the June 9, 2020 board meeting.

RESOLUTION NO. 1901

School Board Commitment to Equity and Anti-Racism

WHEREAS, the recent incidents of violence against Black Americans highlights the systemic bias and institutional racism in our society that has senselessly and atrociously devastated so many Black lives throughout our country’s history;

WHEREAS, as school board members we are committed to actively interrupting systemic racism and eliminating inequities in our education system and therefore are compelled to speak out;

WHEREAS, this violence, racism, and disregard of human dignity and life reflect and perpetuate a system within which students, families, and staff of color and their families are oppressed and attacked, both through explicit racist actions as well as unconscious bias and microaggressions;

WHEREAS, our community and nation’s future requires that this systemic bias and institutional racism be dismantled, to promote equity, and ensure ALL children and families are able to thrive;

WHEREAS, education is a key lever for creating this more equitable and anti-racist community, nation, and world;

WHEREAS, our district is committed to promoting equity within and across our schools, in conversation and partnership with students, families, staff, and community stakeholders;

WHEREAS, in moving from planning to action, our district is committed to drawing on the perspective and feedback from the collection of diverse voices received through the Excellence and Equity review process to identify concrete actions that must be taken to advance this work, and continuing to ensure that these voices are elevated in decision-making processes.

WHEREAS, as a school board and district we value each and every student, family, and staff member and are committed to creating an equitable and anti-racist system that honors and elevates all.

WHEREAS, we recognize that the experiences and outcomes in our district are not consistent for historically underserved and marginalized groups, including people of color; those experiencing poverty, homelessness, or foster/kinship care; students who identify as LGBTQ+; students receiving special education instruction; and students who are linguistically diverse.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Directors for Bend-La Pine Schools that:

1. The Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors stands in solidarity with the Black community, in our schools, district, and nation to condemn this violence and the blatant disrespect by some Americans for Black lives - we see it, we hear it, and we are committed to changing the system.
2. The Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors commits to its own work as individuals and our collective work overseeing the district in continuing to become equitable and anti-racist in behaviors, actions, and policies;
3. The Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors calls on and commits to working with our local governmental agencies to strengthen the collective work of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community. This specifically includes participation on a multi-discipline inter-agency task force by one or more board member representatives.

LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED, that the Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors shall take specific action to revise its governance tools - goals, guardrails, procedures, and budget - to reflect this focus on equity and anti-racism:

1. The Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors commits to completing a full revision of its Board Goals prior to the commencement of the 2020-21 school year, holding diversity, equity, and inclusion at the center of this work. These revised goals will allow monitoring and transparency of progress by the Board and stakeholders.
2. The Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors commits to adopting an Executive Limitation on Equity and Anti-racism prior to the commencement of the 2020-21 school year, which will govern the superintendent’s work and clearly delineate the expectations on actions the superintendent shall not fail to do to advance equity and anti-racism.
3. The Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors commits to reviewing and revising all existing Executive Limitations over the course of the 2020-21 school year, adopting revisions to each as necessary to ensure a focus on equity and anti-racism across our district’s functions.
4. The Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors commits to reviewing and revising all existing Board Governance Processes over the course of the 2020-21 school year, adopting revisions to each as necessary to ensure a focus on equity and anti-racism across all Board responsibilities.
5. The Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors and staff commits to updating JBB-AP: Educational Equity, AC-AP: Non-Discrimination, and other related policies over the course of the 2020-21 school year, and committing our board to holding diversity, equity, and inclusion at the center of all conversations moving forward.
6. The Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors commits to holding these resolutions at the center when reviewing and approving the district budget to ensure adequate funding to support this work.