Dear Lake Washington School District Community, 

A Zimbabwean proverb extolls, “Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” These wise words are ever more important to heed and act on as a community focused on the education of each and every student.  

Though our Strategic Plan looks squarely into the future of ensuring that, in Lake Washington School District, every student receives a world-class education, we acknowledge that our history tells a different story. A different story emerges when one looks deeply at our past curricula, much of our present curricula, instructional practices that lack cultural inclusiveness and responsiveness, and the language that we have used to have discussions and dialogue in our classrooms regarding our nation’s past and present.  

Our Sense of Urgency 
The current events have shown us, more than ever, that we need to acknowledge and teach those stories of the lion, which are embodiments of beauty, grace, intelligence, ingenuity, resistance, and resilience.  

The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, along with young people, such as Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin, have mobilized the many voices of youth, staff, and communities within our district. These voices have called on our district to enact change because those five aforementioned names are part of a long list of individuals whose life stories were changed and ended by their tragic deaths.  

These deaths amplify the need to end racism through intentional, strategic learning and action, which includes having curricula, instructional practices, and meaningful and multi-faceted dialogue that integrates topics and concepts, such as bias, stereotypes, prejudice, and racism.  

Along with those blights, we recognize that the work should also include a broader and deeper perspective regarding Black History and the movements that have sought to extinguish not only individual racism but systemic institutional and structural racism, as well.  

As a district, we have begun the all-important work to dismantle individual, institutional, and structural racism through our professional learning with staff, recruiting and hiring practices, most current curricula adoptions, and student and community engagement and outreach.

We invite you to explore some of the systemic work underway at our Equity webpage. We’ll continue to highlight work throughout the District over time on this site.

The Journey 
We understand that we are at the beginning of this journey; we have a long way to go, but we know that it is worth it because we want a community and a world that is accepting, impartial, and above all—better. Our children and diverse communities deserve it, the foundational ideals of our country are heralded for it, and the rallying cries in our nation are demanding it.  

Therefore, without reservation, we will hold ourselves accountable and work every single day to live up to our goals and aspirations. And we expect that our students, families, and communities will hold us accountable as partners for a brighter and more just world.

 

Gloria Henderson
Director of Opportunity, Equity and Inclusion
Lake Washington School District

Lake Washington School District Community:

Over the past week we have watched events unfold across our country that reflect the anger and outrage that has once again been sparked by a senseless and horrific death. Mr. George Floyd’s life was taken during an arrest by a white Minneapolis police officer, once again reminding us of the wounds that have long been part of our country’s history of police brutality and racial divide. 

As people assembled for peaceful protests to collectively express outrage and call for change, we unfortunately saw violence, chaos, and looting spill over into our streets. We all share the collective sense of shock and unrest as we try to make sense of these acts, here and across our nation. 

This sense of unrest is further compounded by the extended time of isolation we have all experienced which has been a negative reality for many in our communities as we continue to deal with the effects and outcomes of the pandemic closures. 

All of this is to say that there are many raw emotions and intense feelings as we begin the month of June, and the final weeks of education in Lake Washington. 

First, we acknowledge the historical racism that continues to inflict pain and creates inequities for many people and in many areas of our school district, our communities, and our world. We will continue to work toward racial justice with words and actions as we mourn the recent and past deaths of those who continue to remind us of the work that must continue in and outside of our schools. 

Second, as a school district, we must continue to help our students find and use their voices and actively prepare them to be adults who can collectively impact lasting change and bring about true peace in our world. 

Finally, as we approach the last few weeks of our school year, I hope we can all reflect on our own personal journeys for how we contribute to both problems and solutions that address the gaps in opportunities, achievement, and experiences that are the realities faced by our students and families every day. 

If any of our students, families, or staff members need support, our school counselors are available for support.  You can contact your principal or school counselor to set up time to talk. 

In addition, the National Association of School Psychologists has valuable resources for talking with students about violence as well as talking with students about race and privilege. You can find those resources at this link: https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/diversity/social-justice/understanding-race-and-privilege

While we are still asked to stay physically distanced, I would ask that you reach out in every way possible to your neighbors, your community, and your loved ones to express your care and concern for their well-being. Now more than ever, we must extend the hand of friendship, compassion, and understanding if we are to see our way forward during this challenging time. 

Dr. Jane Stavem, Superintendent
Lake Washington School District

Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. We say their names not because they are the only three. They are three of many whose lives were taken and sadly, their names are now part of our history as a country that should be better because of the promise that was put forth that all people are created equal. However, this ideal will continue to be just an ideal—an aspiration—if we only see these names of Black women, men, and children as sad markers in our history instead of a call to action to make change for a better future that is equitable for every one of our students.

We understand, as a Board, that silence is comforting for some and deafening for others. We understand that silence is also complicity. If we are silent, we are implicitly saying that the lives of Black people are less than or do not matter. We believe that the lives of Black people do matter. We believe that it is our responsibility to condemn and speak out against discrimination, hate, and racism. As writer and activist, Alice Walker stated, “Look closely at the present that you are constructing; it should look like the future you are dreaming.” In the present, we acknowledge that we do not have all the answers. In the present, we understand that those furthest away from economic, racial, and/or educational justice are in those places and positions because of inequities inherent in our structures, systems, and institutions.

Our Strategic Plan and Board Values speak to the future that we are constructing:

• A district with access to opportunities for all students not just to survive but to thrive. 
• A district with socio-emotional learning supports that are differentiated and culturally responsive.
• A district where students, staff, and families are heard and valued for their individual and collective perspectives, knowledge, and histories.
• A district where students will choose their trajectories and futures because the district staff support our students’ realities and their hopes and dreams by continuing our work to be a place with a diverse, high-quality, and culturally responsive workforce.

We will be able to do the aforementioned work through being listeners and learners. Through our intentional, and many times uncomfortable work, we will collectively build a broader and more responsive community wherein our values, beliefs, and actions exemplify the brighter future where inequities have been eliminated, creating a new reality - for every single student within the Lake Washington School District.