DIVERSITY, EQUITY & BELONGING
| Director Reba Y. Hodge, Ph.D. |
| Assistant Director Sophia Burden |
| Assistant Director Jasmine Price |
| Physical Address 725 Harrison St. Syracuse, NY 13210 |
| Mailing Address 1025 Erie Blvd. West Syracuse, NY 13204 |
| Office Hours 8:00 am – 4:30 pm Monday – Friday |
| Contact info: P: (315) 435-6456 RHodge@scsd.us P: (315) 435-4474 SBurden@scsd.us P: (315) 435-4477 JPrice4@scsd.us |
Diversity
are the characteristics and experiences that make everyone unique. Diversity is also about the ways we understand, accept and value those differences.
Equity
is about creating the conditions and cultivating the environment that lead to fair access, opportunity, and advancement for all of those uniquely different people.
Belonging
is personal to each of us. We create the conditions for people to belong through establishing and maintaining trust, demonstrating empathy, accepting, and affirming our different ways of being an through prioritizing connection - connection to each other, to a purpose and feelings of being wanted and valued.
Mission:
To build, support and sustain communities of belonging in our schools, departments, and offices through efforts, policies, and practices that drive diversity, elevate equity, and build belonging.
Vision:
We (Syracuse City School District) imagine and aspire to create a welcoming, diverse, equitable and inclusive environment where each person feels that their whole identity is known respected, valued and experience a sense of belonging. As we actualize this vision, we remind ourselves that diversity, equity, and belonging is a process that is never finished.
Diversity, Equity & Belonging Statement
Strive to Thrive
At Syracuse City School District, we Strive to Thrive, meaning we continually engage one another in ways that build belonging among all community members. We hold a deep respect and value for the cultural differences that help to make the SCSD the diverse, vibrant, and inclusive community that affirms and validates each of its members. Through our commitment to drive diversity, elevate equity, and build belonging, the SCSD supports, challenges and prepares our students to critically engage in the world. We cultivate conditions and nurture the environments where ALL members of our organization can thrive.
Approach
Through deep listening, conscious collaboration, and by honoring the diversity in all its facets, including race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, socioeconomic status, (dis)ability of our members we recognize and value the many perspectives and ways of viewing the world. We view possible conflicts and tensions as opportunities for reflection, growth, open, honest, and authentic communication for teaching, learning and leading.
We embed diversity, equity, and belonging in all aspects of our district’s climate and culture and seek to ensure that all aspects of students’ school life, and staff work life reflect our commitment to diversity, equity, and belonging.
Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Beliefs
- We believe that driving diversity, elevating equity, and building belonging helps all students and adults thrive.
- We believe that all staff should be actively working to understand what it means to commit to being anti-racist.
- We believe that our understanding of and support for diversity, equity, and belonging will continually grow and evolve as a result of the ever-changing world in which our members, students, and schools exist.
- We believe BELONGING is a foundation for learning and growing and when people experience belonging, they teach, lead, and act in intentional ways.
- We believe that equity requires institutional and systemic change.
