The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) Board of Education held a Special Meeting on August 29, 2023. Board members present were President Kathy Gebhardt, Vice President Lisa Sweeny-Miran, Treasurer Nicole Rajpal, Richard Garcia, Beth Niznik, and Kitty Sargent. Stacey Zis did not attend the meeting.

BVSD Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson was present for the meeting and presenting to the Board was the Equity and Community Engagement Team Dr. Lora de la Cruz, Dr. Nichole Villa, Dr. Amy Pickens, and Dr. Bianca Gallegos.

This meeting gave the BVSD Board of Education a chance to review the work of the district’s Equity and Community Engagement Team. Dr. Anderson started out by saying they have “a lot to be proud of and still a lot of work to do.”

Dr. Pickens reminded the Board that equity work is not the responsibility of one person or one department. “It is a collective commitment,” she said.

The presenters brought up several steps and actions they have put in place to help BVSD be a district where all students, families, and staff feel they belong. The district has started the professional learning series Let’s Talk Courageously. Currently over 95% of the district leadership team has this training, as well as 231 BVSD employees, central office staff, two high schools, two middle schools, three elementary schools, and 40 equity facilitators have been trained.

There has also been a community partnership with the screening of This is [NOT] Who We Are. This is a documentary about Boulder and the reality for its Black citizens. Educators in the district have access to this film, and some students have seen it.

The Equity and Community Engagement Team lends ongoing support, training, and consultation for school leaders, teachers, and district staff. They have provided a toolkit for responding to incidents that may occur. The toolkit/resources are available to BVSD staff. Incidents could range from anti-semitism to anti-immigration to anti-ableism.

One of the most important goals of this department in BVSD is to create a culture of belonging for all students in BVSD and their communities.

According to the presentation to the Board, the focus for the 2023-2024 school year will be to build the capacity of leaders to lead with an equity lens, continue to increase professional learning opportunities and make sure equity is woven into everything they do. They will also continue their recruitment and retention of employees of color. They will be re-envisioning community engagement and are committed to amplifying students’ voices.

BVSD is trying to build better systems. Dr. Anderson said, “We do not have a foolproof system. But BVSD is working to combat bullying and creating spaces of belonging for students, families, and staff.”

Students and families in BVSD who feel they need support from the Equity and Community Engagement Team can contact them at equity.community. engagement@bvsd.org.

In BVSD a bullying incident can be reported by going to this website https:// www.bvsd.org/parents-students/healthand wellness/health-promotion-and-prevention/bullying-prevention.

The Equity and Community Engagement Team thanked the Board for their ongoing support and the Board shared their appreciation for all the work the Equity and Community Engagement Team does.

Dr. Anderson shared his gratitude and said, “Don’t ever forget that we need to be all together for all students.”

The meeting was adjourned.

To read more details of the BVSD Board of Education meetings you can view the meeting agendas at https:// go.boarddocs.com/co/bvsd/Board.nsf/ Public. Board meetings are livestreamed and can be viewed at BV22. The direct link is https://bv22.viebit.com/player_ live.php?hash=0622f51b-2efa-4f4c- 8424-8c23ee51b653. The BVSD Board of Education meetings are held at the district’s central office at 6500 East Arapahoe Road, Boulder, Colorado. The Board meets every second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m.

The Board will be holding a Regular Meeting on September 12, 2023, at 6 p.m.