Teachers urge deeper DEI work and stronger student voice in district decision-making

Teachers and union leaders asked the Waunakee Community School District to accelerate and embed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts into district culture, implement action steps from the district's three-year DEI plan and to ensure student voices meaningfully inform decisions.

Nut graf: Union members framed DEI as central to students' sense of belonging and cited departures of staff who felt insufficient progress was made; they requested that policies be more than words and that student and caregiver input be captured in ways that lead to visible change.

WTA representatives asked the board to commit to district-wide implementation of the action steps in the three-year DEI plan and called attention to an updated harassment policy (presented to the board the night before) that expands the definition to include harmful language and actions. Speakers said they wanted the policy to have real, observable effects for students who report harm.

The union also pressed for renewed and broadened student voice on steering committees, noting previous student participants had graduated and that current methods for soliciting student input had not consistently elevated perspectives beyond well-connected students. Caregiver engagement was raised as an additional avenue to capture perspectives from families who may not respond to standard invitations.

Ending: District DEI committee members at the meeting said the subcommittee remains committed and that organizers will explore more deliberate ways to recruit and lift student and caregiver voices into decision-making; no specific new DEI action was approved at the session.