MIDDLETON-CROSS PLAINS AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT
EDUCATION EQUITY COMMITMENT The District will attain true excellence only when all students are exceeding universally high goals. The District is committed to the success of every student in our schools. In alignment with the District’s aspirations of Inclusion, Innovation, and Inspiration, it is our belief that all students deserve to be academically challenged in a safe and supportive learning environment in which they feel a sense of belonging. This environment should be free of bullying, harassment and discrimination. All MCPASD students deserve to be held to high expectations while being given the resources and support they need to exceed those expectations. Historical and continuing structural inequities create disparate outcomes for marginalized student populations. We also recognize that as individuals, despite the very best intentions, our actions can contribute to disparate outcomes for our students. As a District committed to equity, we seek to disrupt societal and historical inequities and eliminate disparities based on student and family characteristics such as, but not limited to, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), economic status, disability status, and age, so that all students thrive. We commit to a thorough examination of institutional policies and procedures through the lenses of social and racial justice so that any policies and procedures that have a disproportionate impact on historically marginalized students and families can be addressed. We also recognize that as individuals, despite the very best intentions, our actions can contribute to disparate outcomes for our students. We, therefore, commit to ongoing professional learning for all of our staff as it relates to identity development, its connection to issues of racial and social justice, and our roles as agents of positive change within our system. Educational equity is based on the principles of fairness and justice in allocating resources, opportunity, treatment and creating success for each student. Achieving equity means students’ identities will not predetermine or predict school success. We believe that expanding opportunities for students who have been historically marginalized will enrich the overall development of all students. The District’s vision for all students to achieve and exceed at high levels requires the District to see each student as an individual with unique strengths and needs. In order to help all students succeed, we must meet each student where the student is academically, emotionally, mentally, physically and socially. As such, the Board of Education approved an Equity Policy that serves as a north star for our equity work: Every student is unique and deserves a respectful, inclusive learning environment in which to thrive. Every student's experience is shaped by many factors, and our schools must provide equitable educational opportunities that align with a student's needs including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, native language, religion, gender, ability/disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, income and preference for rural or urban lifestyle. We will appropriately prioritize educational equity in all our schools including the intentional allocation of resources, professional development, instruction, and opportunities to meet the specific needs of all our students. Equity benefits the District as a whole. All students must participate in appropriately rigorous, challenging and diverse educational experiences designed to create a skill set needed to graduate and become career and community ready by being provided targeted support based on individual needs. Expanding opportunities and increasing support for students, especially those who have been historically marginalized and without action, may continue to be marginalized, will ultimately increase the overall educational experience, general well-being and academic achievement of all District students. We must tirelessly work to repay the education debt owed to our students and families of color.
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