Colchester School District Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts are designed to ensure that ALL students, staff, families, and our community members have the opportunity to find belonging and to thrive. We recognize that disparities in achievement, opportunity, and well-being impact students and families in our district. We uphold a district-wide commitment to equity for all members of the CSD community, inclusive of race, gender, color, creed, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, ethnicity, caste, language and linguistic diversity, socio-economic status, religion, housing status, or non-citizenship or immigration status.

To reach our equity goals the District will strive to:

• Provide a learning environment and educational opportunities for students and employees that are equitable, anti-racist, culturally responsive, anti-discriminatory, and inclusive.
• Respect and honor the diversity and lived experience of all individuals.
• Create a nurturing school environment where individuals feel welcomed, accepted, respected, included, and supported.
• Increase the awareness of disparities and inequities that exist in the District to create and sustain a climate and culture that supports equitable practices.
• Cultivate and sustain school communities that embrace a collective responsibility to address, eliminate, and prevent actions, decisions, and outcomes that result from and perpetuate racism and discrimination.
• Address the harm caused to individuals as a result of bias and inequity.
• Hold ourselves and one another accountable to equity, inclusion and belonging in our schools.
• Align with the State of Vermont Agency of Education Commitment to Equity

Diversity - Valuing diversity means that we know that the differences between us strengthen us as much or more than our similarities. Out district is wonderfully diverse and we serve people of many backgrounds with varied cultures, languages, interests, abilities, identities, challenges and strengths.

Equity - Equity in education means that all people have the individual support, resources, and opportunities they need to to feel that they are welcome and belong, and can thrive. Equity, everyone gets what they need, is different than equality, everyone gets the same thing. Individuals need different things to thrive and so we meet needs equitably, not equally.

Inclusion and Belonging - People feel included when they are invited to participate, and people feel belonging when they feel at home. Our goal is for all members of our community have a chance to feel invited tp participate in things that are new and different AND feel at home in our schools. Inclusion means that we design systems that care for and support each student's pursuits of learning, social development and wellbeing that are responsive to individual and community needs. Inclusion means ALL means ALL, and the needs of the few are as important as the needs of the many.