Belonging in Bronxville
Fall 2023 Update
At the Sept. 6 meeting of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Rachel Kelly, reviewed new and refined language that has been incorporated into the Bronxville Promise following a summer review by the leadership team, faculty, staff and the BOE. The updated Promise incorporates additional language around diversity, inclusion, belonging, technological advances and civil discourse.
June 2023 Update
Board of Education Statement (read at June 2023 board meeting):
At The Bronxville School, we strive for academic excellence in everything we do. To that end, we work to create an environment that supports the growth and learning of all students and where all students feel that they belong. We believe that by respecting diverse ideas, opinions, ideologies and backgrounds, we create an environment where all students can live up to The Bronxville Promise.
- Review of Bronxville Promise language by faculty and leadership team underway and expected to conclude over the summer
- Additional input from students and the community will be solicited in September
- Board will consider whether to codify the Promise as policy in “Philosophy” section
- Efforts toward improving visibility will continue:
- BOE meeting “Promise In Action” moments showing demonstration of outcomes
- Website update will feature Promise and outcomes more prominently
- Feedback on bullying experiences (heard by BOE at workshops) has resulted in:
- Followup on specific incidents
- Revision to student exit form
- Review of anti-bullying curriculum (which included most recently - anti-bullying PSAs developed by 4th graders and proposed MS program “Start with Hello”)
Background
Since the Spring of 2022, the Board of Education has held ongoing discussions and community listening sessions on how best to bring greater visibility and action to the important values of diversity and inclusion in Bronxville. There has been recognition that some relevant language already exists in the Bronxville Promise, the district’s mission statement, which was originally developed in 2014. In 2019, the faculty enhanced the Promise by defining desired student outcomes for each element of the Promise; these outcomes would be used to guide curriculum design.
In the Spring of 2023, the BOE asked Dr. Kelly and the leadership team to undertake a review of the Bronxville Promise with a focus on updating for diversity and inclusion language.
Timeline
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May 4, 2023 |
Presentation by Dr. Mara Koetke and students on Service Learning as exemplary of the Bronxville Promise disposition of Engaged Citizenship, illustrating respect for diversity as a desired outcome |
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March 27, 2023 |
BOE workshop on “Continuing the Discussion on DEI in Bronxville”; meeting recap found here |
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March 4, 2023 |
BOE workshop on “Continuing the Discussion on DEI in Bronxville”; meeting recap found here |
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December 15, 2022 |
Presentation by former Superintendent Dr. Roy Montesano on the results of the Advisory Committee meetings held during Spring and Fall of 2022 |