By Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Suoerintendent of schools
There are 130,000 students in Ventura County public schools, and every one of them is unique.
They come from all types of backgrounds that represent a huge diversity of ethnicities, cultures and family structures.
Some are from families that are financially secure, while others struggle to put food on the table.
Some grew up speaking English, and others are still learning the language.
Some have parents who know all about the college admissions process, but others have to figure it out on their own.
As Ventura County’s Superintendent of Schools, one of my main priorities is to ensure that every student has access to the support and resources they need to reach their full potential.
As you can imagine, different students can have very different needs.
And it’s one of our jobs as educators to tailor our services to meet those needs. It’s a concept known as “equity,” and it’s the focus of an upcoming conference that I hope you will attend.
The Ventura County Office of Education Equity Conference will be held online on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
It’s open to parents, students, educators and everyone else in the community who is interested in this important topic.
The conference is completely free of charge and will be presented in English, Spanish and American Sign Language.
Attendees will get to choose from an impressive menu of workshops on a variety of topics, including anti-racism, implicit bias, the importance of preschool, preparing for college, supporting students with disabilities, and gender diversity, just to name a few.
This conference was held for the very first time last year, and the response was tremendous.
Attendance exceeded expectations, and we received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the diversity and quality of the content.
This year, we’re building on that momentum by making the conference even more inclusive, with new presentations that touch even more segments of our community.
For example, we’re proud to have added a presentation about meeting the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
We’re honored that the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League is presenting about the impact of antisemitism on the Jewish community.
And we have new presentations on supporting Black student success and creating equitable outcomes for students from migrant families.
Over the past year, the need for a conference like this has become clearer than ever.
In parts of the US, schools are banning books and restricting teachers from discussing uncomfortable but critical topics surrounding racism and slavery.
In addition, several states are considering legislation aimed at silencing speech about LGBTQ identities in schools.
As much as we’d like to think Ventura County is immune from these trends, it’s not the case. At some local school board meetings, we’ve heard objections to teaching ethnic studies.
And we’ve recently seen people spreading white supremacist propaganda from freeway overpasses.
Despite these realities, I’m extremely proud of the way Ventura County schools and members of our community are embracing the goals of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Some of our local school districts are implementing ethnic studies courses before they’re required to by the state.
The County of Ventura now has a wonderful Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer.
And a huge network of your neighbors and colleagues are taking action to make our schools and neighborhoods more welcoming, accepting and accessible to everyone who lives here.
We’re also fortunate to live in a state that’s making bold moves to expand access and opportunity for students from marginalized communities. Starting this fall, school meals will be available to all California students at no charge.
California is the first state in the nation to make ethnic studies a requirement for high school graduation.
And the long-sought dream of statewide universal preschool is about to become a reality.
The progress is real, but so is the continued struggle to address longstanding inequities in public education.
There’s a new sense of urgency to this work as we emerge from the pandemic and have the chance to rethink old ways of doing things.
That’s why I encourage everyone to be part of the solution by registering to attend the Equity Conference at www.vcoe.org/equidad.
