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The Manchester School District is committed to equity and the success of every student. The district recognizes that our public schools are not immune to the major historical and societal factors in our nation that contribute to inequity. This commitment means that a student’s success will not be predictable by their race, ethnicity, family economics, mobility, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or initial proficiencies. The responsibility for addressing these disparities among students rests with the adults, not with the students. All district students deserve a safe and respectful learning environment that maximizes their potential for success in college, career, and community leadership. Equity is achieved when there is sufficient evidence that each child has a high-quality educational experience and when outcomes and successes cannot be predicted by a student’s belonging to a historically marginalized population. 

To break the predictive link between student demographics and student achievement, the district will apply an equity lens to all policies, programs, operations, and practices to reduce opportunity gaps and ensure all students have access to a high-quality education.

To this end, the district will:

• Provide every student equitable access to effective teachers and principals; high-quality culturally and personally relevant instruction, curricula, sufficient support services, facilities, and other educational resources, including multi-tiered systems of support, and differentiated instruction.

• Identify and mitigate culturally biased instructional materials, assessments, and pedagogies that result in achievement disparities.

• Disaggregate any data used in decision-making by race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, special education status, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and mobility (when available). Track related data and report it annually both to the BOSC and on the district website.

• Create and nurture an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students, families, and staff. Collect data on climate using student, staff, and family surveys and report this data annually to the Board and post to the district website.

• Ensure that all families whose first language is not English have equitable access to translated documents.

• Incorporate the voice and perspectives of all students and families, including families of color and those families whose first language may not be English, into decisions that impact student success. Work to empower them as partners in education, planning, and decision making and create opportunities for their leadership development.                

• Track and analyze data regarding students who lose instructional time due to disciplinary referrals. Present findings annually to the Board. Work to eliminate any loss of instructional time due to disciplinary referrals. 

• Actively encourage advanced academic opportunities for all students. Examine enrollment processes and track data to ensure equitable access for all students. Analyze and report this data annually to the Board.

• Recruit, hire, and retain high-quality personnel that reflects student demographics at all organizational levels. Track demographic data and evidence of the district’s recruiting, hiring, and retention efforts, reporting to the Board annually.

• Give all employees and students opportunities to develop the critical racial, ethnic, and cultural competence to understand the contexts in which they teach, work, and learn. 

• Develop employees' personal, professional, and organizational skills and knowledge to empower them to recognize and address racial and ethnic disparities.

• Encourage and support personnel at all organizational levels to engage in high-quality training in culturally-responsive practices. This should be evident in the district professional development plan. 

Legal References:

RSA 193:38: Discrimination in Public Schools First Reading Coordination: 7/11/16

Second Reading and Approval BOSC: 8/8/16

2021 Updates:

First Reading (Policy Committee): January 12, 2021

Second Reading and BOSC Approval: January 25, 2021