Equity Policy Development
The Olympia School District is committed to creating an equitable school district that serves ALL students well. As part of that commitment, the district is developing and implementing an Equity Policy that will include procedures and accountability measures. The policy will be collaboratively designed with the community to ensure a more inclusive school and work culture that promotes equity and addresses systemic and institutional barriers that have historically marginalized students, staff and families.
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
“The term “equity” refers to fairness and justice and is distinguished from equality: Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances. The process is ongoing, requiring us to identify and overcome intentional and unintentional barriers arising from bias or systemic structures. (See an illustration of this concept.)”
Source: “Equity-Definition.” Naceweb.org, National Association of Colleges and Employers, https://www.naceweb.org/about-us/equity-definition/
Equity: noun
- as in neutrality
- lack of favoritism toward one side or another
- The judge considered both sides of the argument with equity
- as in justice
- the practice of giving to others what is their due
- Basic to the notion of equity is the principle that all people are of equal standing in the eyes of the law
Synonyms & Similar Words
neutrality, objectivity, neutralism, objectiveness, fairness, impartiality, justice, nonpartisanship, evenhandedness, disinterest, tolerance, disinterestedness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
prejudice, bias, favor, partisanship, favoritism, partiality, chauvinism, subjectivity, nepotism, nonobjectivity, predisposition, inclination
Source: “Equity.” Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
Olympia School District: Let's Talk Equity Videos
The videos below feature Olympia School District students discussing equity in our district and their schools, what that means to them, what works, what does not work, and what will be their focus as members of the equity focus groups currently being formed across our district.
To learn more about the committee’s work, see the information below:
Background
The Olympia School Board held two work sessions – one on December 16, 2021 and another on March 3, 2022 – to discuss the development of an OSD Equity Policy.
Equity Policy Steering Committee
An Equity Policy Steering Committee, including representation from students, staff, families and community members, scheduled its first meeting on March 17, 2022. The committee’s goal is to determine the best ways to authentically engage with the community and gather feedback that will inform the development of an Equity Policy.
OSD Equity Policy Steering Committee
(current as of August 25, 2022)
Committee Membership
Adia Waters, Student
Bill S. Kallappa II, Community Member
Christine Zhang, Student Representative, Olympia School Board
Katie Savinski, Secondary Humanities Instructional Coach
Katy Johansson, Olympia Education Foundation and Parent
Kindra Galan, CIELO
Kris Peters, Local Tribal Leader, Parent and Community Member
Maria Flores, Olympia School Board President
Michelle Pineda, Student
Parfait Bassale, Community Member
Patrick Murphy, Superintendent
Rahma Gaye, Student Representative, Olympia School Board
Rebekah Gabrielle Ponte, Student
Sandra Gordon, Native Education & Tribal Relations Program Manager
Scott Clifthorne, Olympia School Board Director
Tyron Nixon, Parent
Support Roles
Kimberlee Armstrong, Facilitator
Ryan Howland, OSD Director of Projects & Grants for Student Success
Equity Policy Steering Committee Meeting Summaries
Equity Policy Community Zoom Webinar Held April 13, 2022
Tentative Timeline
- December 2021-March 2022: Olympia School Board discusses Equity Policy development during two board work sessions.
- March 2022: Equity Policy Steering Committee convenes.
- April-June 2022: Initial work begins on engaging students, staff, families and community members in Equity Policy development through in-person and/or online focus groups, and other forms of engagement/communication.
- August 2022: Equity Policy Steering Committee resumes meetings, facilitated by Kimberlee Armstrong, CEO In Lead Out, LLC.
- September - December, 2022: Equity Policy Steering Committee to hold two retreats (September 10 and December 10, 2022), and Olympia School Board to hold two work sessions (October 6 and November 3, 2022), on Equity Policy Development.
- January 2023: Equity Policy Focus Groups to Launch
Resources