Overview

Lynbrook UFSD is committed to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).  In each school, a Diversity Committee has been established to discuss building-based efforts and concerns regarding DEI.  In addition to the building committee, the students in Lynbrook High School have also established a Student Diversity Committee as well.  Members of the building-based committee, including students, parents, teachers, and administrators, come together to form the District Diversity Council.  The District Diversity Council meets every other month to share ideas and help unify efforts to meet the goals stated in the District’s DEI Plan.    

Lynbrook UFSD’s DEI Plan

District Diversity Council Mission Statement

The mission of the Lynbrook Diversity Council is to support the school district in finding resources which will assist in building professional capacity, increasing and enhancing community connections and involvement in our schools, elevating student voices in our processes, and working together to create environments that will enhance each student’s self-esteem, promote discovery of and maximize individual student potential, and guide each to dignify, appreciate, respect, accept, and value human diversity.

District Diversity Council Belief Statements

• Each student will learn in an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Each student will seek to understand the complex and rich identities of self and others.

District Equity Plan Priority Areas

1. Developing inclusive curriculum, instruction, and assessment K-12.
2. Strengthening and creating opportunities, access, and educational quality for all students in our diverse community.
3. Prioritizing student input to develop practices with a more equitable framework.
4. Promoting intentional hiring practices that encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply for open positions.

Goals

1. Provide K-12 curricula and assessments that focus on diversity, equity, inclusivity, and cultural responsiveness.
2. Foster culturally responsive pedagogy and inclusive practices that affirm and support the diverse identities and experiences of our students.
3. Improve the use of student voice in developing curriculum material and educational experiences.

Objectives

1. During the 2021-2022 school year, all schools should have a constant faculty agenda item dedicated to the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CRSE) Framework.
2. During the 2021-2022 school year, offer all teachers professional development on topics such as managing difficult conversations, culturally responsive pedagogy and inclusive practices that affirm and support the diverse identities and experiences of our students, et cetera.
3. By October 2021, each secondary building diversity committee should elect two student leaders to serve as contributing members of the District Diversity Council.
4. By the end of the 2021-2022 school year, all school building diversity committees, composed of staff, students, and parents will meet at least quarterly to discuss diversity, equity, inclusivity, and cultural responsiveness and the development of homework, assessment and grading practices that support diverse needs.
5. By the end of the 2022-2023 school year, generate lists of student literature explicitly taught and available as choices at each grade level and note the inclusivity of authors from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
6. By the end of the 2022-2023 school year, generate lists of monthly lessons taught in each building by grade level that include aspects of empathy, tolerance, diverse perspectives, and civic responsibility.
7. By the end of the 2023-2024 school year, establish positions for “Lynbrook Culturally Responsive Education Leaders” (LCREL) for each school building to support other educators who are in the process of implementing strong culturally responsive and equity strategies within their classrooms.

Goals/Action Steps

1. Promote a sense of belonging and an inclusive learning environment through instructional approaches, curriculum taught and assessed, and events celebrated.
2. Identify and address any inequities and/or opportunity gaps, if any, that exist in the areas of academics, discipline, and attendance.

Indicators to Track Priority Area #2

1. Continue to utilize the building level diversity committees and district-wide Diversity Council to examine instructional approaches, curriculum taught and assessed, and events celebrated.
2. Continue to support annual sensitivity workshops for students and families K-12 scheduled age appropriately (e.g., promote anti-bullying and up-standing, celebrate differently abled students, foster culturally responsive communities, embrace racial and ethnic differences, promote LGBTQ+ rights and sexual harassment awareness, etc.).
3. Continue to work with families with diverse needs and provide services to meet those needs. This can include offering classes focused on supporting students.
4. During the 2021-2022 school year, start collecting and reviewing various forms of data and analyze any inequities and/or opportunity gaps.
5. During the 2022-2023 school year, work on proactively identifying learning deficits early in students’ educational careers to alter their academic trajectories by revisiting kindergarten screeners.
6. During the 2022-23 and 2023-2024 school years, monitor identified academic and perceived opportunity gaps for student success and begin to implement student specific supports, such as mentoring, additional support classes, and tutoring.
7. During the 2022-23 and 2023-2024 school years, explore further use of standards-based grading (K-8).

Goals/Action Steps

1. Introduce or redesign courses of study that students feel are relevant for their educational experiences.
2. Reflect the diversity of our school community in the programs, experiences, and opportunities that are offered.

Indicators to Track Priority Area #3

1. During the 2021-2022 school year, survey high school students to ascertain areas of interest and gather supporting information for curriculum strands.
2. During the 2022-2023 school year and beyond, organize an annual high school student-led community forum that brings our diverse community together to discuss issues and topics related to equity.
3. During the 2022-2023 school year, all building level diversity committees will review and discuss, with the input from students, the diverse perspectives in the literature studied and the national cultural months and holidays celebrated and report their findings to the district-wide Diversity Council.

Goals/Action Steps

1. Attempt to diversify the professional staff so students see themselves reflected in their educational role models.

Indicators to Track Priority Area #4

1. During the 2021-2022 school year, work with local colleges and universities to create an outreach network that encourages students from diverse backgrounds to participate in our application processes.
2. During the 2021-2022 school year and beyond, further develop partnerships with higher education programs specifically focusing on helping to prepare teacher candidates from diverse backgrounds.
3. Upon adoption of the plan, include the District’s diversity statement on postings for available positions in the district.

Action Summary (revised May 2024)

Priority Area 1:  
To develop more inclusive curriculum, instruction, and assessment K-12, the District continues to review existing curricula and assessments to identify areas for improvement in addressing diversity, equity, and inclusivity.  This is an iterative process of reviewing, refining, and improving.  As part of the process, the District’s administrative team reviewed the New York State Education Department Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework and elements of the framework were focused on during faculty meetings in all seven schools. Additionally, members of the Lynbrook Teacher Center were trained on the following topics and offered turnkey trainings to their colleagues: Courageous Conversations, Restorative Practice, and Facilitating Critical Conversations with Students. These workshops were intended to encourage community-building to foster understanding, empathy, trust, and positive relationships and to help teachers and students engage each other in meaningful conversations with honesty, open-mindedness, and vulnerability, listening deeply to understand others’ perspectives.  Staff members continue to seek professional development opportunities to learn more about delivering culturally responsive instruction and using inclusive assessment practices and share these ideas with colleagues.  “Lynbrook Culturally Responsive Education Leaders” (LCREL) for each school building have been established to support other educators who are in the process of implementing strong culturally responsive and equity strategies within their classrooms. Finally, student leaders were selected to serve as contributing members of the District Diversity Council.  In addition, the high school has actively solicited feedback from students on their educational experiences, preferences, and needs.  Student-led clubs and classes at the high school have also taken initiative to facilitate learning about diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the elementary schools. 


Priority Area 2:  
Teachers received professional development to implement inclusive instructional approaches that prioritize student voice, cultural responsiveness, and diverse perspectives in classroom activities and discussions. There has been an ongoing assessment of instructional approaches, curriculum taught and assessed, and events celebrated; age-appropriate sensitivity workshops; supporting students and families with diverse needs; and analyzing data for inequities and/or opportunity gaps.  The District is continually looking at ways to differentiate instruction and personalize learning opportunities.  Student choice is an element being embraced at all levels to allow students to explore what is important and interesting to them, and materials that better represent our student body are being purchased.  Similarly, our schools incorporate activities and celebrations that represent our students’ unique cultures and experiences.  School-wide events and celebrations have been organized that honor the diverse backgrounds and identities of students, fostering a culture of inclusivity and acceptance. Workshops promoting anti-bullying continue to be offered.  The District has increased its support staff to address students’ and families’ diverse needs and surveys have been conducted to continue to assess those needs.  Finally, the District has conducted a thorough analysis of academic performance data, discipline records, and attendance patterns to identify disparities and inequities among student groups. Additional data has been collected starting in Universal pre-Kindergarten to track student progress from the start, and the elementary report cards have been revised to provide more meaningful feedback. By implementing these actions, we have made significant strides in promoting a culture of belonging and inclusivity while addressing any inequities or opportunity gaps that may exist in academics, discipline, and attendance. Our ongoing commitment to these goals ensures that all students feel valued, supported, and empowered to succeed in our learning community. 


Priority Area #3:  
Student committees were formed at Lynbrook High School to let students share their opinions about what work needs to be done. These forums provide venues to gather feedback from students on their interests, aspirations, and perceived relevance of current courses of study, and analysis of this feedback helps identify areas for improvement and to determine new course offerings or revisions to existing ones. The students were enthusiastic that their voices would be heard, and student representatives were asked to sit on the District Diversity Council. Additionally, high school students have been participating in diverse cultural celebrations, heritage months, and events in the elementary schools that showcase the talents and contributions of students from various backgrounds. Through these actions, we have successfully introduced courses of study that resonate with students' interests and experiences, while also ensuring that our programs and opportunities reflect the rich diversity of our school community. By continuously seeking and incorporating student and community feedback, we are committed to providing an inclusive and culturally responsive educational experience for all students. 


Priority Area #4:   
The District has conducted an analysis of the current professional staff demographics to identify areas for improvement in diversity representation. To increase representation, the District has partnered with both Nassau and Suffolk BOCES. During interview processes, diverse candidates have been added to applicant pools through the District’s participation in both county’s diversity fairs.  Also, the District has worked with local colleges and universities as partners to prepare teachers from diverse backgrounds.  This work with local colleges and universities has established other avenues for the District to attract a wider variety of diverse candidates for open positions.  All postings for open positions now include the District’s diversity statement, “The Lynbrook Public School District is committed to building a diverse, inclusive team, and strongly encourages candidates who represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills to apply.” Finally, these postings are now distributed to various outlets, including professional organizations focused on underrepresented groups, which has also helped attract more diverse candidates to apply.  Through these efforts, the District has made some strides in diversifying the professional staff, providing students with role models who reflect the rich diversity of the school community.  The District remains committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all students feel seen, valued, and empowered to succeed.