How do you eliminate bias, racism, oppression, discrimination, and systemic barriers from schools and classrooms?
It’s a collective effort involving many: board and school staff, principals, vice-principals educators, parents, students, and the community.
The Upper Grand District School Board in Guelph has taken this challenge head on. The board, which contains 76 schools—65 elementary and 11 secondary—covers the city of Guelph and the counties of Wellington and Dufferin, representing approximately 35,000 students.
Several years ago, the Ministry of Education announced a strategic plan focused on equity and inclusion. The board started their own big push at that time, “although equity has always been part of the work that the UGDSB does,” says Cheryl Van Ooteghem, Superintendent of Education.
They are demonstrating a real commitment to change, through a series of on-going, considered and thoughtful initiatives.
Black Heritage, Brilliance and Futures
To support Black Heritage, Brilliance and Futures, the board has a multi-pronged approach. First, they encourage students, staff, and families to respond in an organic way, proposing their own initiatives. For some schools, the Black student associations organize and lead a variety of learning and celebration initiatives. At Centre Dufferin District High School in Shelburne, for example, a strong Black Chapter of students organize events including stepping and spoken word, guest speakers, and a fashion show to encourage peer and staff learning and celebration.
The second ensures that Black Brilliance and Black Heritage is supported in the board. To do this, they connect with community partners, school and staff Black associations, and strong resources to enhance their programming. This year, the Board offered a virtual month of learning and celebration for staff and students. The month included guest speakers Dr. ABC, Dr. Eugenia Addy, and Dr. Ian Williams. In addition, the month included a variety of Black brilliance highlights, event opportunities, and education-based resources for staff and students. The resources and opportunities of this month are available to educators and students past the month of February.
“It’s our belief that the work that we do around Black History and Black Brilliance isn’t just reserved for the month of February,” says Van Ooteghem. “It’s work we need to be doing each and every day in our school board…It’s not reserved for one day, week, or month; it’s work that needs to be done each and every day.”
Another key piece of this work includes ongoing mandatory anti-racism and anti-oppression training for all staff, reviewing board protocols and policies, including hiring practices, and being fully transparent and accountable to all Upper Grand students, staff, families, and stakeholders in an ongoing manner. This year, the UGDSB hired a Workplace Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Manager and a Workplace Equity Diversity Inclusion Coordinator to guide and support the work.
Wheelchair basketball program
The Patrick Anderson Wheelchair Basketball Program was started by Andy Speers, a teacher at Drayton Heights Public School. It’s based on the premised that every student should be able to participate in every game, regardless of their physical or mental needs.
Patrick Anderson is an athlete who plays for the Canadian wheelchair basketball team. As a student, he attended school in Wellington County. “He’s also arguably, and I think most people would agree, the best wheelchair basketball player in the entire world,” says Heather Loney, Communications and Community Engagement Officer. “He took Team Canada to four Olympics. He’s still playing internationally and he’s helping younger players come up. We’re quite proud of him in the school board.”
The program includes a training video for teachers and discussion items for students, who “can understand and live the experience, for however brief a moment, of what it’s like to play sports from a wheelchair,” says Van Ooteghem.
Sledge hockey
Speers was also the catalyst behind their popular sledge hockey program, which 50-55 schools participate in. Students get to experience the sport, an activity that has quickly become a favourite. From an accessibility standpoint, the benefits are huge, says Van Ooteghem. “It has had an impact on some students who have never before been able to be on the ice with their peers.”
Monthly accessibility challenge
Last year, another initiative was to issue monthly accessibility challenge to schools. The challenges involved making a closed-caption video or shovelling the sidewalk or driveway of a neighbour with mobility issues. It’s one of the ways social media can bring to life an issue that many don’t understand or realize affects us all, says Van Ooteghem.
This year, schools are invited to host a virtual presentation. The goal of the presentations is to help celebrate the valuable contributions of Canadians with disabilities, and recognize the efforts of individuals who are actively working to remove barriers to accessibility and inclusion. Everyone benefit when these barriers are removed. Many of the presenters lined up have past affiliations with the UGDSB, such as Kara Shaw, Sara Gillies and Patrick Anderson.
Culturally responsive novel project
All students need to see themselves in the books they read, says Jessica Rowden, UGDSB Equity Lead. And learning should be inclusive and responsive to various experiences and identities, focusing particularly on those who have been disempowered or marginalized. Culturally responsive initiatives aim to accomplish both, by addressing resources used in education and the methods of teaching diverse students.
Rowden says, reading resources should reflect a variety of authors, characters, and storylines; they should also share values of diversity and acceptance. Last year the UGDSB introduced eight texts—five in English, three in French—to support students from grades four through eight. Titles include Ebb and Flow by Heather Smith, The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore, Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake, and Lettre au Président du Monde by Éric Simard. This year, the board is continuing with this initiative by way of providing additional professional development for educators in culturally responsive practice, adding more relevant and responsive text resources in schools and classrooms, and by creating assessment guidelines for text/book collection building and weeding.
Social justice
How can we make positive change in the world and give students an opportunity to do just that? It happens organically in many classrooms, but several board initiatives exist as well. The sustainable development goals introduced by the World Health Organization are of central importance, captured in the UGDSB Pivot Project. The Pivot Project is a social justice and experiential learning focused initiative that allows students to meet curriculum expectations while addressing sustainable development needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Other initiatives focused on social justice within the board include the addition of Unlearn Posters series in all schools, a resource that encourages critical thinking and empathy, and an upcoming opportunity for students to be involved in “UGTalks about…,” a student-centered video project.
Rowden says, “We want to provide all students with opportunities to see themselves as active change makers and social justice agents. Providing platforms for students to share their ideas, experiences, knowledge and passion is important.”
Pride
Pride is celebrated in the month of June, as well as throughout the year in UGDSB schools. Several have student groups with names such as Pride, Gay-Straight Alliance, and Rainbow Clubs. These groups support and celebrate the 2SLGBTQ1+ population and are provided with resources. Some reach out to guest speakers and bring enhancements into their schools, with the goal of decreasing stigma and increasing understanding, social justice, and safety.
Pride celebrations have changed responsively over the years. From humble beginnings of a small secondary school student only event held at Harcourt United Church in Guelph, to a large in-person celebration held in Fergus drawing in 32 schools from across the board prior to the pandemic. Last year, Pride events were entirely virtual, highlighting a variety of resources and guest speakers including Olympian Mark Tewksbury, young adult authors Jennifer Lavoie and Nathan Burgoine, musician Kate Reid and activists Jer Dias and Spencer Wright.
“Last year we had 45 of our schools flying the Pride flag, which we’re very proud of,” says Van Ooteghem. “We don’t tell our schools that they have to fly the flag and we ask that they don’t unless there are conversations and teaching happening at school. The gains we have made in this area from when we started are huge. Our schools and communities see the importance of inclusion.”
Clearly this two-way approach—both proactive and preventative—is working. “A lot of the time it’s the students who are leading this work, it’s the staff, it’s grassroots,” says Van Ooteghem, “but then it’s also the responsibility of our system to initiate, organize, and support.”
The above list doesn’t even scratch the surface when it comes to the work The Upper Grand District School Board is doing to ensure equity in education. Many initiatives are underway, with more in development by the day. To learn more, consult the full UGDSB Equity Plan at
www.ugdsb.ca/equity.