The Olympia School District’s Equity Policy Steering Committee (EPSC) is pleased to announce the launch of the OSD Student Developed Equity Surveys for OSD secondary students, educators and families.
In partnership with OSD Board Members, the Superintendent’s Office, the Teaching and Learning Department and supporting team members from across the district, student board representatives met over the last few months to develop and refine the survey questions. Survey questions are directed at topics and issues directly affecting students daily lives; some questions may be difficult to answer.
The survey data collected is anonymous and all questions are optional. Honest opinions and thorough participation in these surveys and the data collected will be used to help Olympia students and the EPSC inform the development of our district’s Equity Policy this spring to serve ALL interested parties districtwide.
Follow the links below (or scan the appropriate QR code) to participate in the OSD Equity Policy Surveys by April 14, 2023:
Submit questions to the OSD Equity TeamOpening in a new windowOpening in a new window. For more information on this process, or should you have any additional questions, please email [email protected].
Answer the Equity Policy Focus Group Questions Now:
If you could not participate in the District’s focus groups and would like to share your answers to the Focus Group Questions, you can do so here through the Focus Group Questions Google Form below.
Survey End Date: Friday, April 14, 2023.
Google Form LinkOpening in a new window
In-person and Virtual Focus Group Request Support:
Support for Equity Policy Focus Groups (virtual or in-person) will continue by request in parallel with the project data analysis activities as we transition into spring (April 2023).
Focus Group Commitment Explained
We know your time and expertise are invaluable. When you choose to moderate or co-moderate a focus group, we will provide you with training and a Moderator Best Practices toolkit containing all the setup and materials you'll need for the conversation.
What does coordinating and hosting an Equity Policy Focus Group in our community entail?
- Gather 6 - 12 individuals who want to share their voices and experiences with OSD.
- You or someone in your group can moderate the focus group and capture the notes. Or, you are welcome to coordinate with the District to have a trained EPSC member facilitate or co-facilitate the one & half-hour conversation with you.
- Signup HereOpening in a new window or Send us your Questions HereOpening in a new window.
We will use the data from your contribution to draft an equity policy that we plan to present to the Olympia School Board this spring. We'll make sure you know when the draft policy is scheduled to be presented so that you can give the board feedback before they adopt the policy(August-September 2023 timeframe).
For more information or questions, please send your questions to our team at [email protected].
The Olympia School District is excited to announce the launch of the Equity Policy Stakeholder Focus Groups - a series of discussions and data collection to inform the development of our Equity Policy, which will be presented to the school board in Spring 2023.
Starting January 9, 2023, the District will begin taking requests to schedule Stakeholder Focus Groups from January 17, 2023 - March 31, 2023. Students, staff, families, and community members or groups can submit a request to have the District lead a focus group at a mutually agreeable date, time, and location or decide to self-moderate a focus group and share the information with the District. We also developed a Focus Group Toolkit to support moderators and have scheduled one-hour REQUIRED training sessions with the District's lead Equity Facilitator, Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, In Lead Out, LLC.
We believe in serving ALL students well. Critical to our success, the District's Equity Policy Steering Committee consisting of students, staff, family, community members, and district leaders, was formed to provide valuable insight, counsel, and feedback on moving a draft policy forward, guiding the initiative toward success. The Committee decided that structured focus groups and feedback sessions with stakeholders would be informative, add context to existing data, and provide personalized opportunities to hear from those we partner with and serve. This collective community effort will help ensure the Equity policy is grounded in our pursuit of creating a more inclusive school and work culture and addressing long-standing systemic barriers.
An Equity Policy, once created, will serve as a guide for OSD staff when drafting other policies and procedures and making decisions related to high-quality instructional materials, technologies, funding allocations, facilities, staffing, and decisions that affect students, families, and staff.
Stay tuned the week of January 17, 2023 for the launch of OSD Student Created Surveys for OSD students, educators, and families.
Visit the OSD Equity Policy Development webpage for more information or select one of the links below.