The West Hartford Board of Education will have a first reading this week of a draft of a new Educational Equity Policy.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford Public Schools in 2020 officially adopted a vision of its commitment to equity and anti-racism, and is now looking to take that vision to the next step by turning that vision into adopting policy that will include a fair and just allocation of budget monies and goals for recruitment and staffing, as well as specific curriculum and professional development.

A partnership between the schools, families, and the community is also an aspect of the policy, as is utilizing data to ensure the commitment has measurable impact and will ensure positive academic outcomes and social and emotional growth for all students.

The Board of Education will have its first reading of the Draft Educational Policy Tuesday night, and West Hartford Public Schools Director of Equity Advancement Roszena Haskins said she wants to ensure the public is informed and engaged throughout the process.

“This policy will touch the lives of all students in the WHPS system. Equity policy is one more step in WHPS’ commitment to an equitable community,” Haskins said in a news release.   

“The Educational Equity Policy will guide the actions and practices to uphold the district’s Mission and Vision for Equity and Anti-Racism,” the news release states.

The Board meeting begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4 in the legislative chambers (Room 314) at Town Hall. The public is permitted to attend, and can participate remotely as well, or watch the meeting (with closed-captioning available) via West Hartford Community Interactive’s cable channels or YouTube. To see the agenda, which includes details on how to access the meeting, click here.

The second reading of the policy, which will be followed by a vote to adopt, will take place on Tuesday, June 1, beginning at 7 p.m.

Community feedback – questions as well as comments and suggestions – is encouraged, and will be considered and integrated into the draft policy. The draft can be found here and is also included below as a PDF.

Members of the district’s “One Community for Equity” network of parents/caregivers, educators and community partners have already been collaborating to broadly communicate the plans to establish this policy and to solicit a wide range of feedback.

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