Equity, Access and Inclusivity at

Stevenson High School

July 30, 2020

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,

At Stevenson High School, we are committed and determined to take bold action to support
students that have been historically marginalized, muted, and mistreated; it is without equivocation
that we must enhance our efforts to live by an anti-racist promise detailed in the Stevenson Vision
and Values statement: Equity, Access and Inclusivity. Specifically,

In order to ensure “Success for Every Student,” we will recognize every student as a valued
individual. Students will learn in a safe, inclusive space, where they are taught to understand
the value of their own experiences in relation to other, diverse perspectives. We will be
relentless in removing barriers to full equity, access, and inclusivity in our curricular and co-
curricular programming.

We are very proud of the way our students have recently come together to support the national Black
Lives Matter movement. Their actions exemplify our Portrait of a Patriot who: celebrates, honors,
and respects diverse people and perspectives; and develops a sense of empathy for those around
them. Stevenson’s faculty, staff and administration join our students in support of the Black Lives
Matter movement. Racism will not be tolerated and will be confronted at Stevenson High
School. We will work relentlessly to ensure that our school is a safe and inclusive environment for
all students, families, faculty and staff.

During these last few weeks we have heard from many of our students, parents and alumni who
shared their thoughts on how to improve the Stevenson school experience for our students of
color. Some consistent themes emerged from these conversations, which can serve as starting points
for systemic changes:

1. Students of color want an effective way to communicate their feelings and experiences to the
faculty, staff and administration.
2. It can be intimidating for our students of color to come forward and report to school officials
when they experience discriminatory behavior or racial bias and harassment.
3. Parents and students want all of us to learn applicable life skills to support students of color
and address negative interactions around race.
4. Students expressed a need to more fully represent the voices and stories of people of color
and marginalized communities within our curriculum.
While we continue to reflect on our school culture, procedures, and policies, we are grateful for the
commitment of our community to engage in discussions about equity, race, diversity, and inclusion
as these conversations affect changes within and outside the walls of Stevenson.

What will be new for next year?

A new system to ensure that students of color can share their experiences to adults
and other students in the building.

Our students of color have made it clear they would like to establish a better system to have their
voices heard by faculty, staff and administrators at Stevenson High School. Students want to be able
to tell their stories and relate the challenges they find in navigating Stevenson.

The Diversity Council will be expanding its role this year to create and facilitate conversations
between student groups and adults in the building. Our goal is to build safe spaces that allow
students to tell their stories to faculty, staff and administrators. To support these conversations, the
Diversity Council will bring together students in both affinity and diverse groups. These student
conversations will foster collaboration between students and adults to ensure Stevenson will
continue to grow and serve every single student. Diversity Council will also partner with our clubs
that represent different world cultures and affinity groups to create meaningful connections and
conversations around the student experience at Stevenson.

The Diversity Council will also create heterogeneous student groups to help foster broader
discussions about race, diversity and inclusion. Diversity Council will partner with our current
student groups, F.I.R.E., Peer Helpers and the newly formed Stevenson Clubs for Change, to
establish opportunities for student-led courageous conversations, student professional development
and student-administrator forums providing student input around equity and inclusion into the
daily culture of Stevenson.

A new protocol for reporting incidents of race-based offensive behavior.

In our conversations, students and parents have indicated that it can be intimidating and stressful to
report incidents of racial bias or discriminiation to school faculty, staff and administrators. In an
effort to remove any barriers from this process and ensure students feel safe in coming forward, we
have redesigned the process for reporting and investigating incidents of racial bias, discrimination
and hate speech.

When a student or parent wants to report racially motivated harassment or hate speech, they will be
able to do so in one of two ways: they can speak directly to any adult they trust in the building or
they can use our new online reporting system. The online reporting system will be available on our
website and will be reviewed with freshmen during social worker visits to Advisory. We will post QR
codes around the building on our safety posters to allow students easy access from their iPad.
Students will also be able create these reports anonymously if they prefer.
Once a student or family makes a report of racial discrimination, the student’s social worker will:

1. Reach out, connect and listen to the student--first and foremost to provide care and support
for the well-being of the student and family who has come forward;
2. Report expressed concerns to the relevant school officials to ensure the offensive behavior is
confronted and stops immediately; and
3. Continue to support the student and family by developing a plan of support for the student
and appropriate ways to follow up with the student and family, over the weeks following the
incident to confirm the offending behavior has stopped and to ensure the well-being of the
student.

Once a report has been made, school officials will investigate, meet with the offender and determine
the appropriate consequences. We believe discipline should not only include behavioral
consequences and loss of privileges, but also a learning experience for a student. To that end, we
have developed a set of lessons around issues of race and discrimination that students will be
required to complete as one part of any discipline consequence related to racial discrimination.

A new tool for confronting race-based offensive behavior.

While we missed out on many opportunities in the spring because of the pandemic, we were
especially saddened that we needed to cancel our “Race, Equity and Diversity Day” for our
Freshman students. Over 75 faculty and staff members developed a powerful educational experience
for our students, one in which they could hear stories from around the building, but more
importantly give students the tools they could use when confronted with offensive or insensitive
comments or actions. Using the Social Justice Standards as a framework for learning, we created a
series of learning opportunities for our freshman students through the daily Freshman Advisory
program, the Freshman Race, Equity and Diversity Day and beyond, around the learning targets of
identity, diversity, justice and action.

A critical takeaway from these lessons was to provide students with new and actionable skills for
confronting offensive and inappropriate behaviors involving race. The planning committee identified
“Speak up at School - How to Respond to Everyday Prejudice, Bias and Stereotypes” as
a powerful tool for our students and teachers. This tool can be used by our students and staff so we
can all speak up when we hear biased language or stereotypes in school. “Speak Up” provides
students and teachers with 4 options for responding when confronted with offensive and/or biased
encounters.

Interrupt: Speak up when you hear offensive language, every time you hear it. “I don’t like
what you said. Your language is hurtful.”

Question: Ask the person a question to begin a discussion about their language. “Why did you
say that? What did you mean?”
 Educate: Explain why the term or statement is offensive. “Do you know where that word
comes from? Do you know the history of that word?”

Echo: If someone else speaks up, back them up. “I agree that is offensive and unacceptable.”

The Freshman Race, Equity and Diversity lessons in the Freshman Advisory program and the
Freshman Equity Day and beyond would have provided students with the opportunity to practice
using the “Speak Up” protocol in various scenarios. It is our intention to present this tool to our
students in the upcoming year through the Freshman Advisory Program and with their SSTs,
providing students opportunities to apply these skills in scenarios in remote learning and when we
eventually return to the school building.

How do we continue to learn and educate our faculty, staff and school
leaders?

In our recent conversations with students, parents and alumni, we have also recognized our failure
to educate our community in the work we have already done to increase the cultural and racial
responsiveness of our faculty, staff and administrators. Noted below is a short summary of the work
that we have done the past few years to improve in the area of equity, race and diversity.

We know it can be challenging to engage in conversations around race, bias and privilege. For the
past three years, our faculty, staff and administrators have engaged in professional development and
training to understand themselves as racial and cultural human beings. They have also learned how
to uncover and disrupt in themselves, and in others, racial assumptions and biases in their thinking
and professional practice. By doing this work, and deeply investing in this personal and professional
learning, it is the expectation that all faculty and staff are responsible and accountable for ensuring
Stevenson is an inclusive learning environment where racial intolerance and harassment are not
tolerated. This professional development has occurred through attending Beyond Diversity
training, Stevenson adult learning cadres, division professional development, and the 2019
Consortium Institute Day.

Equity, Race and Diversity (ERD) & Professional Learning: Professional learning focused on
equity, race, and diversity is a three year learning sequence designed for faculty, staff and
administrators to understand and take action around issues of equity, race and diversity within
themselves, their practice and the systems within which they live and work in order to create a more
inclusive learning environment for all students at Stevenson. We have chosen theCourageous
Conversations™ protocols and agreements (CCAR) as a framework for this learning. Each learning
year consists of 5 double period sessions per year. (Total of 15 two-hour sessions over 3 years.) The
arc of this curriculum, along with learning targets that are evolving as our school community learns
more, have been written and are continuously reviewed by the ERD Curriculum Advisory Committee
and the ERD Steering Committee.
 Faculty Cadre One: The focus in year one is Racial & Cultural Identity
Formation: Understanding Self as a Racial and Cultural Being. The learning focuses on
understanding self and self-reflection to begin one’s racial autobiography learning to listen and
lean into our colleagues’ and students' lived racial & cultural journeys. Stevenson student
outcome data is used as the foundation for the compelling “why” behind this work. The year 1
anchor text is: So You Want To Talk About Raceby Ijeoma Oluo.

Faculty Cadre Two: The focus in year two is Racial & Cultural Acceptance and Application to
Professional Practice: Creating Inclusive Learning Spaces through Culturally Relevant
Practices. We introduce the Social Justice Standards and how these standards can be a
framework for reexamining our teaching practices and curriculum. We connect the work to the
SEL competency of belongingness unpacking the impact of microaggressions, implicit bias and
racial harassment on student learning. The anchor texts for year 2 are: White Fragility by
Robin DiAngelo and/or Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong.
These texts challenge our faculty’s mindsets while making connections to ourselves, our work
and our professional practices.

Faculty Cadre Three: The focus in year three is: Racial & Cultural Adaptation: Using the Lens
of Equity, Race and Inclusion for Systems Analysis to Create an Inclusive School Climate for
All Students. In each session we uncover the questions and assumptions that affect our
professional practice with colleagues, students and parents. Using Stevenson student data
(academics, student voice surveys, college experiences, discipline, etc.), cadre members
uncover issues of practice they want to explore. Then cadre members share their action
research and collaborate with curricular team members to problem-solve and disrupt past
discriminatory practices and create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for students
and families. The anchor texts for year 3 are: Despite the Best Intentions: How Racial
Inequality Thrives in Good Schools by Lewis and Diamond and/or How to be an Antiracist by
Ibram X. Kendi.

Consortium Institute Day: In the spring of 2019, Stevenson hosted a consortium-wide Equity, Race
and Diversity professional institute day with our sender district partners from D102, D013, D96, and
the Exceptional Learners Collaborative (ELC). Over 1200 educators from across these districts came
together to have an honest discussion around issues related to race and equity in our community.
After a keynote address led by DeEtta Jones (Next Generation Leadership), sessions during the
Institute focused on the following topics:

• Moving from microaggressions to more inclusive language;

• Why talking about race is so difficult;
• Understanding bias and reducing its negative impact; and
• Creating cogenerative dialogues in the classroom - way to include the narratives of all
students.

Administrative Team Professional Development: Over the past four years the administrative team
has engaged in learning and then leading the learning within their respective divisions around topics
of equity, race, diversity and inclusion. In particular the administrative team has undertaken
opportunities which have focused on: using Stevenson student data to create a compelling “why”
statement for our work focused on race; strategies for facilitating learning within different divisions
and academic teams; preparing each division for the February 2019 consortium-wide institute day
on equity, race, diversity and inclusion; and how to make actionable, responsive changes.

Equity, Race and Diversity Steering Committee: A group of parents, teachers, SST members, Board
of Education members and administrators meets four times a year to listen and learn from each
other around issues of equity, race and diversity. This group provides multiple perspectives in
creating learning experiences for faculty and students at Stevenson.

Division Specific Work: Supporting the ERD learning cadres, and leading up to and beyond the
Consortium-Wide Institute Day, each of our curriculum divisions have dedicated time and resources
to examine teaching, learning and curriculum. The goal of this work is to incorporate diverse
narratives and viewpoints into the teaching fabric of Stevenson so that all students can see their
learning as relevant to and for their lived experiences. Below are a few examples of this specific
divisional work:

Communication Arts:

• Equity and Inclusivity have proven to be a large focus for this division as it takes on
the responsibility of normalizing diversity in the content (namely, texts) we study. The
division has created a set of three learning targets around equity, race and diversity, set
a division goal of seeing that a majority of major texts taught in the division feature
diverse authors and stories by the end of 2021, and begun training teams on how to
frame and integrate diversity-infused lessons.

Social Studies:

• Teachers conducted a Literature Review of the AP US History Textbook from an Asian

Critical Race Theory lens and changed the text for the 20-21 school year to provide a
full narrative of the contributions of Asian Americans in US history. The Director and
the AP US History Team prepared a presentation for the National Council of Social
Studies on literary analysis and inquiry activities used to respond to the dearth of Asian
American inclusion in many history texts. Additionally, race and diversity are explicit
elements of the curriculum in History, Government/Civics, Sociology, Geography, and
Constitutional Law courses.

Who will support us in our work?

As we continue our focus and our commitment to equity, race, diversity and inclusion, we believe
systemic, institutionalized change is the responsibility of every Stevenson administrator, faculty
member and staff member. Moving forward with our work in these areas, we want to be more
intentional in our commitments and more directed in the changes we need to make. To that end, we
are excited to share that Dr. LeViis Haney will be joining our team as our new Director of Equity,
Diversity and Inclusion.

Dr. Haney has over 19 years of experience in education, including 16 years as a school leader. He
started his career as a classroom teacher and athletic coach at the middle and high school levels. Dr.
Haney has also served as an athletic director, elementary school assistant principal and K-12
principal. He has most recently served as principal at The Joseph Sears School in Kenilworth,
Illinois, and Rich Central High School in Olympia Fields, Illinois.

Dr. Haney will work alongside the Stevenson administrative team to: (1) make important decisions
related to revisions of school policy and procedures; (2) support the professional learning of faculty
and staff; (3) guide insights into practices related to teaching and learning; (4) advocate for students
from diverse backgrounds; (5) collaborate with administration to recruit, hire, and mentor
additional faculty of color; and, (6) evaluate and advise needed changes to insure that Stevenson’s
school culture promotes the values of diversity and inclusion. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Haney
to the Stevenson High School team!

How can you help?

As parents and guardians, you are essential partners in our work. Noted above are the books faculty,
staff and administrators are reading in each adult learning cadre to acquire new racial and cultural
knowledge, cultural awareness and racial competency skills. These books are available at your local
library and in our school library. We invite you to read one or more of these selections and discuss
your learning with your student and others in your neighborhood. Likewise, we invite you to attend
upcoming events Stevenson co-sponsors in partnership with the Family Action Network (F.A.N.).
And always, we invite you to email or call us to engage in a critical conversation around the work we
are doing to create a more inclusive environment for all students at Stevenson.

In the last few months, our county, community, school and students have experienced illness,
changes in the way we live and “do school,” and racial hurt and trauma. Due to Covid-19, we have
not been able to walk down the hall and reach out and “be there for our students”. This makes our
work difficult - but not impossible. Our students look to us to teach them the skills necessary to
engage in courageous conversations about race, equity and inclusion with their peers and the adults
in their lives. Our students look to us to provide opportunities for meaningful discussions based on a
fully told narrative of our country’s history and current events. Our students look to us, the adults at
Stevenson, to lead them and our community in making Stevenson a more inclusive environment for
each and everyone of them. We are committed to anti-racist work at Stevenson High School.
Thank you for your support as we continue the relentless pursuit of our mission of Success for Every
Student.

Sincerely,

Eric Twadell, PhD

Superintendent

Troy Gobble
Principal

Sarah Bowen
Director of Student Services

1 Stevenson Drive • Lincolnshire, Illinois 60069 • 847-415-4000