Equity Action Plan

At the DSBN, equity matters.

We believe that each individual deserves:

to have their identity and lived experiences honoured,
to learn in a culture of respect, dignity, and acceptance, and
to have access to education free from discrimination and barriers.

Building equitable and inclusive schools requires the work to be grounded in the Ontario Human Rights Code with intentional focus on:

Student Voice
Inclusive Spaces
Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum
Anti-Bias, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Learning
Community Partnership
Identifying and Removing Systemic Barriers

Creating positive change within schools necessitates meaningful and intentional actions that result in a learning environment where every student feels valued, supported and empowered to succeed.

Through collaboration, ongoing review of policies and practices, and collective commitments, we aim to create a more equitable and just school community that celebrates diversity and prioritizes the success of every student.

The Equity Action Plan reflects our commitment to students to ensure there is equity at all levels of the system and embodies our dedication to addressing systemic barriers, promoting fair, anti-racist and anti-oppressive policies and practices, and ensuring all students have equal opportunities to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

The Plan outlines the priorities of the six focus areas and provides highlights of the work that has been done and the commitment to the work we will embark upon over the next three years. It is important to understand that much more work is happening at the system, school, and classroom levels that goes beyond what is highlighted in the Equity Action Plan and is further highlighted through the Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Community Advisory Committee and the Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Trustee Advisory Committee. To learn more, reach out to your school administrator.

Click below to learn about our priorities, highlights from previous years and our upcoming commitments:

Empower students intellectually, socially, emotionally and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Recognize all students learn differently and that these differences may be connected to background, language, family structure and social or cultural identity.
Empower teachers to cultivate the knowledge and skills that already exist in all learners to support achievement and well-being.
Support teachers to create student-centered learning environments that affirm all student identities, elevate historically marginalized voices, and contribute to student engagement through cultivating critical thinking.

Highlights from Previous Year:

Collaborated with Curriculum Support Services and K-Grade 1 teachers to support inclusive representation in the classroom through staff learning and resource development
Continued to implement the Cultivating Caring Conditions Framework (Knowing Each Learner, Identity, Culture/Family, Skills/Gifts, Joy) to address and support the social, emotional and academic needs of each learner
Continued to offer Additional Qualifications courses (Addressing Anti-Black Racism, Teaching LGBTQ Students, and Equitable & Inclusive Schools) to all educators

2024 - 2027 Commitments:

Facilitating staff learning and developing resources to support the integration of inclusive representation in the classroom through texts
Design, deliver, and support participation in differentiated staff learning experiences that strengthen knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices to create culturally responsive learning environments
Collaborate with curriculum support services teams to create and support resources that integrate culturally and historically responsive practices.