The Discrimination Differentiator

The expectation of educational organizations to include all children is clear; we can not purposefully exclude any child for any reason.

If it were only that simple. It takes more than saying it, to practice it.

Learning environments are not impacted solely by the classroom environment, teaching, curriculum, and administration. Learning environments are directly (and indirectly) continually impacted by policy.

Albeit at the National or local level, the policies we set send a clear message regarding our beliefs as learning organizations around inclusivity.

The differentiator for schools and districts is this; their goal is to promote learning and individual growth.

While a state can say, “we won’t list specific groups of marginalized individuals in anti discrimination laws,” schools and districts face the harsh reality that things cannot be so cut and dry in their local school board policies.

Why? Because schools and districts are responsible for learning.

While we seem well versed in physical parameters for safety, it is still too easy to prioritize needs of our students. Does the student who identifies as transgender deserve less than a student who identifies with a specific religion?

Quite simply: No.

If we can’t get past our own bias in how we prioritize physical safety, our policies must be more inclusive. Our statement to students that they all…