Welcome to the Second Edition of Southwestern's DEI Update! We will continue to provide updates on our journey. We welcome feedback and questions from our community. Please reach out to Mrs. Donahue, Superintendent at mdonahue@swcsk12.org

On March 21st, Dr. Brown worked with the entire staff at Southwestern, including teachers, teacher aides, bus drivers, administrators, office staff and maintenance staff. The first part of the morning was an introductory workshop. Dr. Brown provided an overview and offered benefits for our DEI work. He gave many examples of "What can I do tomorrow?", such as examining images students see on our school walls every day. Are they positive and do they reflect what our students can relate to?

In the afternoon our DEI committee met to explore next steps and how we can make positive, long-lasting changes for ALL students in our district. Dr. Brown led us through exercises to prioritize our initiatives. He reiterated that student and family voices must be a part of these decisions.

Our next steps include more sessions with our DEI committee; we will prioritize and focus on specific areas to address. We are also planning informational sessions for our students and community.

To view New York State's Culturally Responsive Teaching Framework, click below!

Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework.pdf