District 102 Families,
The first month of 2021 is coming to an end. It is hard to believe that we have been living through the pandemic for close to a year. We have learned a lot about ourselves and about each other during this time; yet have so much more to learn. As a school administrator, it has been both frustrating and exhilarating at times. Frustrating as my team and I continue to find ways to get our staff vaccinated, exhilarated as I stop by classroom and see teachers and students engaged in their learning (online or in-person). Frustrated at the politics that I work to keep out of our schools and exhilarated at how our staff has dealt with very sensitive topics that have been thrust in the media spotlight over the past couple of months.
In the Fall, the District 102 Board adopted an Equity Policy to help guide our work. This policy helps to guide everything from how we work with students to how we hire staff. Academic equity is about giving all students what they need to be successful. What are the current processes and programs that support student access and what is creating barriers to access.
As we enter February, a month that has been set aside to honor contributions of African Americans throughout our country’s history, we also look to encourage a greater study of American History from multiple viewpoints. Our goal is to celebrate many people’s influence on our history. As we continue to develop our work in the area of equity and diversity, we look forward to taking this time to ensure that ALL members of the D102 community feel valued, welcomed and supported in our schools. Our country was not built on 100 percent of people agreeing on 100 percent of topics. It was built by debating, learning, growing, peaceful protests, legal and legislative work and a representative approach to democratic governance.
Our goal in schools is to support our students in their learning as they become productive citizens of our amazing country. Our District mission statement is about all students. We strive for our schools to be excellent for ALL of our students. I am proud to be a leader in D102. I am proud that we continue to get better every year, even during a pandemic, at meeting our students’ needs. We may not be a perfect country, state, village, or school district, but I am proud to be a part of each of those populations.
Have a great weekend!
Kyle
