Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Scotia-Glenville

Video link about DEI initiative at Scotia-Glenville

A few helpful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) links

A quick guide to this document

The Scotia-Glenville School District stands together with the 24 school districts that comprise the Capital Region BOCES region in our shared responsibility to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students, particularly those who have been historically marginalized. It is our commitment that the diverse experiences and perspectives of our students, families and staff will be recognized, reflected and embraced in our educational institutions.

equity graphic
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While our 24 school communities in the Capital Region each have a unique makeup, we all share one commonality: Our desire to provide an equitable educational experience that ensures opportunities and the necessary support for success for all students. It is our pledge to embrace the diverse experiences, values, beliefs, backgrounds and perspectives of our communities as we endeavor to prepare our students for the society they will encounter in life beyond our school systems.

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Gathering information from the school community

DEI flyer for Scotia-Glenville
Click to enlarge

Over the past 9 months, the Scotia Glenville School District has been working with Tangible Development, a Capital Region based diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm, to help us identify ways we can become a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming school district.

Over 300 members of the SGCSD leadership and staff has participated in:

  • Capacity building sessions
  • Surveys and interviews
  • Focus groups

We eagerly invite YOU – parents/guardians, students, and community members – to share your thoughts, ideas, and experiences around diversity, equity, and inclusion at SGCSD. Tangible Development will facilitate and collect all the data, analyze it, and provide SGCSD with a report and plan of action for improvement.

“DEI can be some of the most important and sensitive work an organization can undertake. Team Tangible takes great pride and effort in creating safe spaces built on trust and confidentiality. We need you to feel safe to share authentically so we can gather the best data and ensure that as many community members as possible feel heard. Using this data, SGCSD leadership can create tangible plans that will help ensure the Scotia-Glenville School District is diverse, equitable, and inclusive for their students of today and their students of the future.” –Dr. LB Hannahs, Tangible Development

Important Dates

  • Student Focus Groups: April 26-May 20
  • Student Survey: TBD
  • Parent/Guardian Focus Groups: April 26 – May 17
  • Community Survey: April 26-May 20

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More About Focus Groups

For Students

  • 12 total focus groups: 6 for high schoolers (grades 9-12) and 6 for middle schoolers (grades 7-8).
  • Students need to sign up in advance to participate and will require permission from a parent/guardian.
  • Focus Groups take about an hour and will take place during school.
  • Focus groups are confidential.
  • Students may sign up for any focus group that applies to them; some focus groups are open to any student, and some focus groups are for students with specific identities (girls, boys, students with disabilities, etc.).

○  Focus group facilitators from Tangible Development  will, whenever possible, share the identity of participants. For example, a woman will facilitate the focus group for girls.

  • This is an opportunity for students to talk about their experiences and thoughts.

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For Parents/Guardians

There will be both in-person and virtual focus group sessions available for parent/guardians of SGCSD students. Focus groups last for approximately 1-hour. The same or similar parent-focused questions will be asked in each offered session, so you only need to attend one. Choose from the available dates below:

  • April 26 8:00PM – Virtual
  • May 3 8:00PM – In Person
  • May 7 10:00AM – In Person
  • May 11 12:00PM – Virtual
  • May 17 8:00PM – In Person

In person focus groups will take place in the High School library. Please arrive 5-10 minutes early if possible.

More About the Surveys

Both students and community members will have the opportunity to anonymously share their voice via online surveys. The survey is administered by Tangible Development for the Scotia-Glenville School District. The survey will ask questions about the respondents’ own personal identities as well as questions about the SGCSD community. This survey is voluntary, and there are no wrong answers. Your input will help us to better serve our increasingly diverse community.

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Who Should Take The Surveys

  • Student Survey:

○ Students in grades 7-12 in the Scotia-Glenville School District

  • Community Survey:

○ Parents and guardians of any current SGCSD student (K-12)

○ Residents, workers, and business owners within the Scotia-Glenville School District over the age of 18

How to Take the Survey

Students will have the opportunity to take their survey in their extended homeroom period. Community members can sign up to take their survey below.

Here’s the link to sign up for a survey – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/V38KKXX

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Frequently Asked Questions

Survey

Q: Why do I have to sign up to take the survey?

A: The sign-up sheet will prevent respondents from accidentally submitting more than one survey response.

Q: What are the survey and focus groups measuring?

A: They are measuring ways in which Scotia-Glenville schools are diverse, equitable, and inclusive as well as how effective the schools are at maintaining such an environment.

Q: What kind of questions will be asked?

A: Examples

  • How frequently have you visited a Scotia-Glenville school or event? (paraphrased)
  • Do you feel safe at Scotia-Glenville schools?
  • How inclusive an environment do you think Scotia Glenville schools are for boys/men? For girls/women? (paraphrased)
  • Do you have any parental or caregiving responsibilities?

Q: How long will the survey take to complete?

A: The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete.

What if I don’t take the survey?

All the surveys are voluntary, so you are not required to take it, but it will be a missed opportunity for you to share your voice.

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Focus Groups

Who is facilitating the focus groups?

Members of the Tangible Development team. You can find out more information about us and our team members on our website [link to: https://tangibledevelopment.com/team-tangible#team].

Who will be present in the focus groups?

Student Focus Groups:

  • Students who signed up to participate and have permission from a parent/guardian
  • A Tangible Development facilitator*
  • A Tangible Development scribe (notetaker)
  • A SGCSD staff member to ensure student safety and comfort

Parent/Guardian Focus Groups:

  • Parents/Guardians (of current SGCSD students) who signed up to participate
  • A Tangible Development facilitator*, and a Tangible Development scribe (notetaker)

*If possible, the facilitator will share the same identity as the focus group.

I want to participate in the focus group but it doesn’t fit my schedule; what should I do?

Please contact Tangible Development’s Project Coordinator, Luz Lynch, at luz@tangibledevelopment.com or 808-783-2105.

Will Focus Groups be recorded?

No, we use a scribe to take notes during the focus group so that the data can be anonymous from the beginning.

Confidentiality

How can I be sure that I will remain anonymous?

Survey: Neither SGCSD nor Tangible Development keeps track of who has and has not taken  the survey, so rest assured that you will remain anonymous.

Focus Groups: Tangible Development does not keep track of who has and has not participated in the focus group. As part of their policy, specific names and other identifying details are not documented in their notetaking. However, you will see the names and faces of other participants so you will not be anonymous to those in the session.

Both: No SGCSD employee will receive or see the raw data collected by Tangible Development. We will receive a thematized report that leaves participants confidential and anonymous.

Next Steps

What happens next?

The results of the assessment will inform next steps for SGCSD’s strategic diversity planning.

Will the results be made available to the public?

We are committed to communicating the findings with the community in a manner that is transparent and honest.

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