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Verona Area School District board, superintendent reaffirm equity statement and land acknowledgement
Summary
At a regular board meeting the Verona Area School District read and affirmed its district equity statement and land acknowledgement; board members and the superintendent emphasized continuity of the district's equity work despite external debate.
The Verona Area School district board and Superintendent Dr. Clarity opened their meeting by reading a district equity statement and a land acknowledgement, and board members and the superintendent told the public the district’s equity work will continue unchanged.
The statement read at the meeting said the district “will ensure that every individual has access to the educational, social and emotional support they need to feel valued and affirmed in their unique identities and experiences.” Superintendent Dr. Clarity told the meeting the district “will not waver away from that commitment.”
Board members and others who spoke after the reading framed equity as an inclusion effort spanning race, gender, disability and sexual orientation. One board member described arriving in the district as a queer, multiracial family and said the family felt welcomed and supported by Verona schools. Another said the “inclusion” piece of equity is central to student success because students must feel safe and valued in classrooms in order to learn.
Speakers urged the community to view the statement as the product of many voices. Board remarks and the superintendent’s comments repeatedly described the equity statement as the result of collaboration among staff, students, families and school leaders; one board member emphasized the statement “was not written by this board” but reflected broader community input.
The board then moved on to the rest of its agenda.
