April 19, 2024 - At its annual Parent Engagement Advisory Committee Regional Parent Symposium, York Region District School Board announced their plan to create a strategic resource guide entitled Empathetic Education: Addressing Hate and Fostering Equity.
The Board will create a steering committee that will include community members, organizations and staff members. Working groups and liaison opportunities will also be created to leverage the existing knowledge and skills of staff, including through existing board affinity groups. The strategic resource guide will include an accountability framework with regular reporting on incidents and actions being undertaken to address hate and oppression.
The Empathetic Education: Addressing Hate and Fostering Equity strategic resource guide will focus on the following key areas: Leadership and Commitment; Reporting Mechanism; Education and Professional Development; Inclusive Curriculum; Safe and Inclusive Environment; Student Engagement; Parent and Community Engagement; Data Collection and Analysis; Diversity in Staffing; Procedure Review; Evaluation and Accountability.
“As educators, it is important for us to ensure that all our schools and workplaces are safe, inclusive and welcoming environments,” said Bill Cober, Director of Education. “We remain committed to continuous improvement as a board of education and addressing all forms of hate and discrimination to ensure equity and inclusivity for all.”
The strategic resource guide will be informed by the calls to action outlined in the recently received Dismantling Hate and Oppression Framework: Closing the Gaps Eliminating Inequities. The work will also take into consideration existing strategies and documents to ensure the Strategic Resource Guide is reflective of the full context of the Board’s richly diverse student and staff population, including:
- Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy
- Anti-Asian Racism Report
- Indigenous Education and Equity Strategy
- YRDSB Leadership Framework
- Mathematics Strategy
- Mental Health and Addiction Strategy
- Modern Learning Strategy
- Staff Well-Being and Mental Health Strategy
- Dismantling Hate and Oppression Framework
- Every Student Counts Survey
York Region District School Board is committed to addressing hate, racism and all forms of oppression in schools and workplaces. We continue to work towards our goal of creating inclusive, equitable, and identity-affirming learning and working spaces for students and staff to learn and work.