A Message from Superintendent James Everett

Dear staff, families and students,

In January 2021, we convened an Equity and Access Committee. This committee was formed to examine barriers for students and families in our district so that we can recognize, embrace, and protect the dignity of each student as a valued and important member of our school community.

This committee has been meeting monthly, to discuss ways Meridian can be more inclusive of all families and students. Part of the committee work has been to examine equity policies from other school districts around the state with the plan to develop one for us.

As part of the work to build belonging and community, the committee would like to invite you to a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 3 in the Meridian High School courtyard. The reception will include light refreshments and an opportunity to speak with committee members to learn more about the work they are doing. Committee members will also use this opportunity to listen to and answer any questions the community may have.

The work of the committee closely aligns with the feedback we have been hearing from staff, families and students.

In February 2022, we asked staff, families and students to complete the Center for Educational Effectiveness survey.  We had over 700 students, over 300 families and just over 100 staff members complete the survey.  A consistency between all surveys was that our district is lacking in having difficult conversations about race, gender, oppression and discrimination. An area of improvement for staff included a need for more focused professional development, a need for cultural responsiveness and district support for improvement.

Families

Staff

Students

This theme was repeated in the feedback we received from the staff, families, students and our community about “What is important in Meridian School District?” This question is being posed by our Strategic Plan Development Committee which has been meeting since February. You can follow the committee’s progress on our website and still share what is important to you. In a message last week, we shared some of the comments from our fourth and fifth grade students.

In the ThoughtExchange for staff, families and community members, we had over 260 responses. Below are the top 10 rated thoughts, meaning these thoughts were the most highly rated out of 281 individually shared thoughts.

  1. Inclusivity, all students deserve to feel safe at school and that they belong here.
  2. Physical and emotional safety of ALL staff and students within the Meridian School District. Students and staff deserve to learn and work in an environment where they feel physically and emotionally safe as well as accepted and valued.
  3. Everyone should Feel safe and that they belong. It’s a basic human right.
  4. Kindness Our society needs a kindness reboot, and this is seen in our school community.
  5. Safety, students should feel secure while learning.
  6. Equity in School Facilities Equity in school buildings, admin support, and para support. One school should not be favored above the other.
  7. Equity/Access/Sense of Belonging Research shows that this is foundational to seeing each and every student succeed.
  8. Sense of Belonging Every child and staff should be able to come to a school where they feel connected and safe to be able to learn/teach.
  9. A sense of trust and support for students no matter what they’re sharing. Students deserve to have a safe place to express themselves and receive thoughtful feedback and advice & even resources.
  10. Everyone should feel safe and have a sense of belonging.

We know there is work to be done to build belonging and a strong sense of community in Meridian where everyone feels welcome, safe and included. The Equity and Access Committee is just one part of this process. We hope that you will join us for our reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 3.

James