Policy committee approves language adding cultural competency training to professional learning policy

The Wake County Schools Policy Committee voted to send a revised professional learning policy (policy 1610-7800) to first reading after adding a new sentence to require a program of cultural competency training for staff.

Committee members said the policy change is intended to make cultural competency a district-level professional learning program alongside technology-related offerings. "In addition, the superintendent shall plan and provide a program of cultural competency training to enable our staff to see, know, engage, and challenge our students to reach their unbounded potential," Board member Tracey Rice read as the proposed language during the meeting.

The change grew out of a request at an earlier meeting and was discussed at length in committee. Staff clarified the version before the committee includes updated technical edits previously approved and that the board will move the revised policy forward to first reading with the Rice language added. A motion to send the policy to first reading with that change was made and seconded; the committee voted in favor.

Committee members and staff also discussed placement and sentence structure. Several members recommended the cultural competency requirement be a separate sentence following the clause that requires programs of technology-related professional learning; the committee adopted language to that effect and asked staff to change the singular "program" to plural "programs" where appropriate so technology and cultural competency would be listed as separate district programs.

Staff noted a separate issue that arose in the earlier draft: a hyperlink in the policy had pointed to a Learning Forward document that staff said was outdated. Committee members asked staff to follow up with the district's professional learning leadership and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to clarify which external standards the district should reference publicly. Staff said they would report back to the full board with that information as the policy proceeds through the review cycle.

The committee asked that the revised policy return for additional review at the April work session, and staff said they would bring a cleaned, board-ready draft on April 22. The committee also asked staff to confirm whether the district should maintain an annual review cadence for the policy or change it to "as needed" after the initial implementation period.

Speakers quoted or paraphrased in this article were members of the policy committee and staff who participated in the March 18 meeting. Direct quotations are drawn from the meeting transcript and are attributed to the speaker list below.