Board of Education Equity Resolution

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.”

 

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.