Policies & Procedures

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is committed to becoming an anti-racist institution that provides indiscriminate access to high-quality education, a fundamental human right. The historical legacy of structural racism and the ongoing harm faced by communities of color has eroded the institution's ability to build trusting relationships with these populations. Addressing this harm is critical to fostering a more equitable and inclusive educational environment.

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To this end, the contract's objectives were designed to ensure that SPS could better understand the depth, nature, and specific points where harm occurs and to act on this understanding. The general objectives of the contract included:

1. Community Input Analysis: Analyze community input from sessions with communities of color—those who have experienced institutional harm and those advocating for their well-being. The goal was to identify thematic recommendations, priorities, and concerns that could inform the District's policies and practices.
   
2. Synthesis and Presentation of Findings: Synthesize and present the findings in a clear, accessible format that would inform the co-design and development of District Policy #0040 and Superintendent Policy and Procedures. This process emphasized SPS’s commitment to authentic community engagement and a co-designed approach to policy development.
   
3. Effective Communication and Transparency: Communicate the findings transparently by creating shareable materials (e.g., a report) for key stakeholders, including the community, institutional partners, and other stakeholders, ensuring transparency and fostering ongoing dialogue.
   
   

To achieve these objectives, AG provided the following services:

• Community Engagement: Conducted group and one-on-one input sessions to capture the community’s priorities for institutional transformation and understand the lived experiences of those harmed by SPS policies and practices.
  
• Policy Drafting and Iteration: Collaborated with community stakeholders to draft and refine district policies based on community feedback. The final policy addressed the reclamation of various dimensions of inequity, including structural, service model, and spatial inequities within SPS.
  
• Superintendent Policy and Procedures: Finalized drafts of the Superintendent's policy and procedures, including strategies, objectives, tactics, performance indicators, a management plan, and an evaluation framework to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
  

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These efforts have resulted in a clearer understanding of the needs and priorities of communities of color, as well as actionable steps to create lasting institutional change that addresses systemic inequities and fosters a more inclusive and equitable SPS.

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