Board Policy

EQUITY POLICY: BOARD POLICY 2.250

The Board of Education of Illinois School District U-46 is committed to the success of every student in every school. A primary objective of the District is that by graduation, all students will meet or exceed college and career ready standards and be fully prepared to become contributing members of society. It is our belief that it is the responsibility of this school District to give each student the opportunity and support to meet his or her highest potential.

We also recognize historic and persistent achievement and/or excellence gaps, disparities in data with respect to graduation rates, and inequities in reported incidents of student misconduct when comparing students of various ethnic and racial backgrounds. Closing these gaps and addressing these disparities, while raising achievement for all students, are top priorities of the Board of Education, the Chief Executive Officer/Superintendent, and all District staff, and it will remain the District’s responsibility to continue to address these issues.

Illinois School District U-46 will continue to modify its practices in order to achieve and maintain equity in education. We seek to foster a barrier-free educational environment where all students, regardless of race, language and zip code, have the opportunity to benefit equally.

To achieve this goal, the District will provide differentiated resources to support the success of all students and be guided by the following mandates:

• The District shall provide every student with equitable access to high quality and culturally relevant instruction, curriculum, and other educational resources;
• The District shall create multiple pathways to success in order to meet the needs of our diverse student body;
• The District shall actively encourage, support and expect high academic achievement from all students;
• The District shall actively strive to have a teacher and administrative workforce that reflects the diversity of the student body;
• The District shall provide professional development to strengthen employee knowledge and skills in eliminating disparities in achievement based on race and/or ethnicity;
• The District shall remedy any practices that lead to over-representation of students of color in special education and student discipline;
• The District shall remedy any practices that lead to under-representation of students of color in programs such as gifted programs, honors academies, and advanced placement courses;
• The District shall welcome, empower and recognize students and families of all racial and ethnic backgrounds as essential partners in their student’s education, school planning and District decision making;
• The District shall include and consider the input of government agencies, non-profit organizations, business and the community in general in ensuring equity of programs to all students, and; All students shall have equal access to all programs for which they qualify.

The Board of Education will hold the Chief Executive Officer/Superintendent, school and central office administrative leadership, and all remaining District staff accountable for their contributions toward measurable progress in ensuring these mandates.

The Board directs the Chief Executive Officer/Superintendent to develop action plans with clear accountability and metrics – including prioritizing staffing and budget allocations, as well as ensuring equity in the allocation of resources used to accomplish these mandates. Updated action plans and progress towards these mandates shall be reported to the Board annually.