Borrowing Guidelines for Social Justice Instruction from our neighbors at Wedgwood Elementary, the Equity Team at VRE recommends discussions of social justice at View Ridge uphold the following universal values:

1.  Human Rights – All people have the right to respect, safety, health and opportunity
2.  Education Rights – All children in our community deserve access to a quality education
3.  Global Health – It is our responsibility to be good stewards of the earth

 

When controversial values arise, the Equity Team encourages the following protocol to be used by staff:

1. Identify the question/statement as a values question
2. Briefly answer any factual piece
3.  Describe a range of values
4.  State district of school policies that apply
5.  Refer the student to their family for more information

 

Parent Resources:

• Learn about Black Lives Matter Week of Action and the history of the Black Lives Matter movement. Some suggestions to get started:
  •     Resources in the graphic above
  •      North Seattle mom’s Perspective www.parentmap.com/article/black-lives-matter-school-seattle
  •    “How to Talk to Young Children About The Black Lives Matter Guiding Principles”       https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FAcuXb_XW1SNXl6jgg3rdxy9O5Tvs9tgFIA6YX7t6lc/edit
  •    “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7rsEoQQ4tDoenctWHdCUzBBSjQ/view

Seattle Public School’s mission is to “ensure equitable access, closing the opportunity gaps and excellence in education for every student” – participating in Black Lives Matter Week of action and continuing examination of our practices at VR is one way our school community is working to uphold the mission of the district and as parents and staff we take our role seriously to ensure that “everyone can be great,” as MLK Jr. dreamed.

Amy Young, Librarian                                                                   Kim Fergus, Parent

Equity Team, View Ridge Elementary                                       PTA Equity Committee Co-Chair and Equity Team Liaison