Durango 9-R Board of Education Resolution on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

 

Durango 9-R Board of Education Resolution
on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

WHEREAS, Durango School District 9-R (the “District”) strives to be an equitable, inclusive educational system
and community - a place where all students, staff, and family members feel valued, safe, and welcome; and

WHEREAS, the District currently includes culturally diverse students, families, and staff representing many
countries and territories, including approximately 21% of students who are Latino, 6% who are American
Indian or Alaska Natives, 1% who are African American, and 1% who are Asian; and

WHEREAS, the District recognizes the importance of immigration that indigenous peoples and populations in
general have carried out for thousands of years, which has led us to be a community collectively rich in
knowledge and cultures; and

WHEREAS, the District acknowledges the presence of harmful injustices that extensive research has shown to
exist at the intersections of race, class, religion, gender, sexuality, and abilities; and

WHEREAS, the District encompasses land originally inhabited by and taken from Indigenous people; and

WHEREAS, the District, despite past efforts, continues to have significant opportunity gaps as evidenced by
disproportionate rates of discipline, drop-out, and achievement among various subpopulations; and

WHEREAS, the District is committed to mitigating social and economic barriers that limit the academic and
social growth of minority students, ensuring that all students, staff, and families benefit from equitable
educational opportunities in a safe and healthy environment; and

WHEREAS, the Durango School District 9-R Board of Education (the “Board”) is committed to leading and
facilitating positive change at the systemic level within the school district; and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board apologizes to the community, particularly to our students, families, staff, and alumnae, for not yet effectively identifying and addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the district in a systemic way.

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board will work to address inequities and their negative
effects within our district and schools through our budget, priorities, policies, inclusive language that values
and respects differences, and by creating a culture that values, understands, and practices equity, diversity,
and inclusion with intercultural competency.

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board will establish a committee, made up of diverse
community members and stakeholders, charged with identifying and addressing systemic inequities within the
district and recommending solutions.

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board will engage third-party subject matter experts
specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion for the purpose of identifying systemic racism and injustices
throughout the district and providing unbiased recommendations and actions to ensure we are equitably
serving all our stakeholders.

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board commits to taking recommended and proven actions
toward meaningful, intentional, equitable and enduring systemic change and continually working toward
greater equity for all in our district.

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all formal district business will commence with the following
official land acknowledgement, which will also be published on the district homepage and displayed
prominently in district offices to recognize the Indigenous peoples on whose land our schools are built.

“We respectfully acknowledge that Durango School District 9-R is located on lands and territories taken from
the Núuchiu (Ute) people. This land is also the ancestral home of or served as a site of trade, gathering, or
healing for Apache, Pueblo, Diné, and other Nations. We recognize and honor these peoples and nations as
traditional stewards of this land and water and respect their enduring relationship with it.”



_________________________________________ Andrea Parmenter, Board Secretary
_________________________________________ Kristin Smith, Board President



Adopted and approved by the Durango School District 9-R Board of Education at a board meeting held on the
26th day of January 2021.