Langley’s Statement of Acceptance

The Langley High School community is living our commitment to equity and inclusion. We welcome diversity and celebrate individual identity free of discrimination in a caring environment.

Embracing diversity prepares our students to thrive in an increasingly complex global community. Through the act of respecting each person’s unique identity, perspective, and learning style, we create a greater sense of community. We honor differences including race and culture, gender and sexual orientation, ability and aspirations, identities and affiliations, socioeconomic status and worldview.

To provide a common language and a structure of expectations to be upheld, the Langley community will focus on the following four domains from Teaching Tolerance:

Identity:

• Langley community members recognize that people’s multiple identities interact and create unique and complex individuals. The Langley community encourages the cultivation and expression of individual pride, confidence, and healthy self-esteem without denying the value and dignity of other people.

Diversity:

• Langley is an inclusive community comprised of diverse individuals. We value differing expressions of identities, opinions and beliefs while encouraging open conversations in an effort to understand all members of our community.
• Langley celebrates our diversity by fostering an environment free of discrimination, which can include, but is not limited to: racism, xenophobia, ableism, gender and sexuality intolerance (such as homophobia, transphobia, etc.), and religious intolerance (such as anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, etc.).

Justice:

• Langley community members demonstrate respect for people by being fair and reasonable.
• Langley community members:
  • Recognize stereotypes and relate to people as individuals rather than representatives of groups
  • Recognize unfairness on the individual level (e.g., biased speech) and injustice at the institutional or systemic level (e.g. discrimination)
  • Analyze the harmful impact of bias and injustice on the world, historically and today
  • Recognize that power and privilege influence relationships on interpersonal, intergroup and institutional levels and consider how they have been affected by those dynamics.

Action:

• Langley High School is committed to fostering a mindset of empathy, respect, and belonging.
• Langley community members recognize their own responsibility to stand up to exclusion, prejudice and injustice of others and speak up with courage and respect when they or someone else has been hurt or wronged by bias.
• Langley community members celebrate cultural diversity, educate themselves in ways to counter racism, prejudice and bigotry, and actively participate in ongoing conversations to promote social justice.
• Langley participates in ongoing education and support in creating an equitable school community.

 

Source: Social Justice Standards