Equity & Inclusion | EASTHAMPTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Ongoing Initiatives:

EQUITY & BELONGING WORK ALIGNMENT CROSSWALK

Easthampton Public Schools is committed to creating learning environments where every student and family feels safe, valued, respected, and known. Our work to prevent and respond to harm is rooted in the belief that schools have both a responsibility and an opportunity to affirm dignity, address inequity, and ensure that students from historically marginalized communities are supported, protected, and able to thrive.

Guided by our core values of Learning, Belonging, Equity, and Shared Responsibility, the district approaches bias prevention and response as an essential part of our educational mission — not as a separate initiative, but as work that is deeply connected to how we teach, how we lead, and how we care for one another.

This crosswalk reflects how Easthampton Public Schools has aligned the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Draft Antisemitism and Societal Bias Prevention Curriculum and Professional Development Rubric with our existing equity and belonging work, including the ongoing efforts of our Equity & Belonging Committee, our curriculum and professional development initiatives, and our use of student and family data to guide continuous improvement. We want to communicate the work we are doing and work we have already completed. This document intentionally highlights areas where systems are still being built or refined, acknowledging that this work is iterative and requires reflection, partnership, and care.

Equity & Belonging Work Alignment Crosswalk (PDF)

The EPS Equity & Belonging Team continues to update this document as part of its ongoing work.

ALIGNMENT TO DESE'S EDUCATIONAL VISION

Anonymous Alerts

Easthampton Public Schools Anonymous Reporting Box
Through this form, students, staff, and families can report any incidents of hate, bias, and bullying to the Easthampton Public Schools administration. Click here or the button above to report an incident.
EHS Diversity Center
This center, run by Mr. Tate, at the high school provides a space for students to learn and connect around topics of diversity. This includes an open space for students to drop in (by appointment or during lunch) for support and community, a weekly Diverse Leaders Club meeting, opportunities for in-school events and presentations, as well as field trips to local conferences, community events, museums, and more. Here students have opportunity to learn, share their experiences, foster relationships, and develop leadership skills.
MA Attorney General Guidance
MA Attorney General's Guidance on Immigration Enforcement (ICE) and Student Safety
MA Attorney General's Guidance on Schools' Legal Obligations Regarding Hate and Bias Incidents
MA Attorney General's Guidance for School Athletic Staff on Hate Incidents

GRANT INITIATIVES

Genocide Education Grant
Bridge Builders - Elementary School
The Bridge Builders Program works with MVS students to practice listening, understanding, and problem-solving so they can resolve conflicts, strengthen friendships, and make their school a more welcoming place for everyone.
Intergroup Dialogue - Middle & High School
This program connects middle and high school students together to engage in structured, small-group workshops that foster relational dialogue, helping students explore social identities, differences, and issues of equity & belonging. Through this series, participants will build skills in self-awareness, civic discourse, and leadership and deepen understanding of the value of self, others, and the community around them. This work fosters agency, empathy, and a commitment to building a more just and equitable world.
Professional Learning with Facing History & Ourselves (FHAO) - Middle & High School
Easthampton educators will participate in two full days of in-person professional learning facilitated by Facing History & Ourselves. Across approximately eight sessions, teachers will explore foundational genocide studies, the work of Raphael Lemkin, the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This learning will emphasize both historical content and pedagogical strategies for engaging students in complex, emotionally challenging material.
Bias Incident Response Toolkit
The Easthampton team development of a restorative education and bridging toolkit provides schools with a comprehensive resource to address bias incidents through restorative practices, fostering healing and accountability while supporting the well-being of those affected. With expert facilitation and ongoing technical assistance, this approach integrates with existing bias response protocols to promote a culture of empathy, community repair, and sustainable, equitable change.
Professional Learning with Children Discovering Justice (CDJ) - Elementary School
The district is providing professional development on Children Discovering Justice Curriculum, which empowers students to explore the principles of justice, fairness, and civic responsibility through engaging lessons and activities. By examining historical and contemporary cases, students develop critical thinking skills while learning how to participate in their communities as informed, active citizens.

EQUITY & BELONGING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Transforming Education For Social Justice Conference
In collaboration with the CES Joy & Justice Team, EPS hosted The Transforming Education for Social Justice Conference in 2018 & 2025 & upcoming in 2027. This conference brings together educators, students, activists, and community leaders to engage in transformative discussions and workshops focused on advancing equity, bridging, and belonging in schools. The event provides a joyful intergeneration space for building connection and collaboration, as well sharing strategies, tools, art, resources, and practices to create more inclusive and equitable educational environments.
Previous educator & staff PD sessions:
CES Joy & Justice Team Workshops:
Building Relational Culture
The Cycle of Socialization
Unconscious Bias & Microaggressions
Handling 'Hot Moments'
Changing Behaviors
Student, Staff, Family, and Community Listening Sessions
Book Studies:
Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain by Zaretta Hammond
Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman
Department of Justice Community Relations Service's School SPIRIT (School/Student Problem Identification and Resolution of Issues Together)
Litix Academy Trainings
Mandated Reporting
Civil Rights
FERPA

PROCESSES FOR EQUITY & BELONGING IN CURRICULUM,

CULTURE & DISCIPLINE POLICIES

CES Research & Evaluation Team developed a process for self-auditing disproportionality in discipline data annually
Ongoing use of curriculum audit tools, such as DESE's Civil Rights Equity Toolkit
Students & Families Bullying & Prevention Resources
Student Handbook (see practices & policies around restorative practices and progressive discipline)

Easthampton Equity & Belonging Team:

The Equity & Belonging Team is comprised of students, educators, administrators, and parents from Easthampton Public Schools. The purpose of the Team is to advise district leadership, building leadership, and the School Committee on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This Team has convened since 2017 in partnership with the Joy & Justice Team from the Collaborative for Educational Services, and you can view a timeline of our work on this padlet.

Additional resource collections by topic:

Collaboratively, we have utilized a framework that requires us to:

Design at the margins- to ensure access to learning and success of all members of our community by planning for marginalized groups (students of color, individuals with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, students of poverty, English learners, members of marginalized religious communities, and others at the margins) thus benefitting all

Start with yourself- to consider our own implicit bias, recognizing how bias impacts student learning and outcomes

Cede power- to ensure that all voices are heard, especially student voice, so that power is held by all

Make the invisible visible- to know and understand the historical narrative (story) and the design of our systems as well as the intentional and/or unintentional impact of those systems

Speak to the future- to engage and invest in the ongoing process of envisioning, this being the culture of a community that values equity

In 2024, the Team shifted focus to a new framework that more explicitly centered Belonging & Bridging drawing on resources from UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute.