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Approval Date: December, 2022

ECFA- Student Inclusion and Respect

Definitions

1. Inclusion: the practice of ensuring students feel a sense of belonging and support.
2. Respect: acknowledging differences by looking for the good in everyone, including oneself, and showing due regard for feelings, rights, cultures, and traditions.
3. Discrimination: the practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people.
4. Public forum: a place that has a long-standing tradition of being used for, is historically associated with, or has been dedicated by government act to the free exercise of the right to speech and public debate and assembly.
5. Personal viewpoint: speech that creates the appearance that an employee advocates a particular religious or political view

Policy Rationale

The mission of the Logan City School District is to ensure all students leave our schools ready to create a positive future for themselves and their community.

As district employees and families work together to achieve this goal, the Board recognizes that “the primary responsibility for the education of children within the state resides with their parents and that the role of state and local governments is to support and assist parents in fulfilling that responsibility.” Utah Code 53G-10-204-2(d)

The Logan City School District includes high levels of economic, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, political, and religious diversity. District personnel seek to ensure employee practices demonstrate how to manage differences in a healthy and positive manner.

Schools As Public Forums

Schools, including classrooms, are not public forums for the display or distribution of political, religious, or personal viewpoints, and employees may not use them for the posting or display of such materials.

Employee Expectations

Employees of the Logan City School District:

• Do not use their positions to endorse, promote, or disparage a particular religious, denominational, sectarian, agnostic, or atheistic belif or viewpoint.
  Utah Code 53G-10-202
• Maintain a professional educator/student relationship, including by treating students with dignity and respect by promoting the health, safety and well being of students.
  Utah State Board of Education Board Rule R277-217
• Avoid any suggestion that a student or educator’s sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or membership in any other protected class is inherently superior or inferior to another sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other protected class.
  USBE Board Rule R277-328
• Promote the inclusion of all students, meaning they strive to ensure students feel a sense of belonging and support.
  Utah State Board of Education Board Rule R277-328
• Respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each individual student including, but not limited to, actual and perceived gender, gender expression, gender identity, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and culture.
  USBE Educator Ethics Review
• Establish and maintain an environment that promotes the emotional, intellectual, and physical safety of students.
  USBE Educator Ethics Review

Building principals and staff work together to address individual concerns and questions regarding these expectations.

The Board of Education supports the universal values of kindness and respect in the classroom, and emphasizes the importance of a safe, inclusive environment for all learners and educators.

Employee Training

The District provides annual training to staff on these expectations as part of the state-directed review of the Utah Educator Professional Standards, and provides written assurance to the State of the annual review.