Diversity, equity, respect, and inclusion are paramount to the education community. To reaffirm Berks County schools’ continued commitment to these initiatives, leaders from Berks County’s 18 school districts, two career and technology centers, and the Berks County Intermediate Unit collaborated to create a countywide diversity, equity, and inclusion statement.
In addition to individual school district policies and actions, the statement reflects the collective commitment of school leaders to the following items to eliminate racism and promote equity within the Berks County education community:
- We will continue to establish and sustain school communities that share the collective responsibility to address, eliminate, and prevent actions, decisions, and outcomes that result from and perpetuate racism.
- We will evaluate policies and protocols to ensure that they advance our goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- We will continue to encourage our stakeholders to focus decisions impacting our education community to include recognition of equity and diversity within our communities.
- We will enlist the support of our community experts and stakeholders to help our districts and school leaders examine their equity practices.
- We will work strategically on recruiting, retaining, developing, and advancing a diverse workforce.
- We will offer ongoing education and professional development for our students and staff to continue building capacity in diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies.
Recognizing that statements are not enough, Berks County education leaders realize their critical role working proactively to influence and enact change. Berks County’s education leaders will continue to work with partners within and beyond the educational community to promote and reflect their dedication to creating the equitable society all students deserve.