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Board adopts policy amendment to address derogatory language and harassment
Summary
The board approved an amendment to policy 5145.3 to explicitly call out derogatory language and slurs; trustees emphasized pairing the policy change with classroom materials and staff training developed in collaboration with student leaders.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Education updated board policy 5145.3 to explicitly include derogatory language, slurs and demeaning speech in its nondiscrimination and harassment language.
The amendment followed Resolution 26‑15 and was presented as a first reading that moved quickly to adoption. Trustees discussed educational implementation: student-created slogans and PSAs, age-appropriate materials for elementary and middle grades, and teacher learning communities to support staff intervention skills. Amara Anderson described student-created slogans such as "Don't hate, appreciate" and suggested student presenters for younger classrooms. The board voted unanimously to adopt the policy amendment.
The board directed staff to work with student groups and district partners to produce classroom materials and professional learning and asked for a report back on the rollout and effectiveness indicators.
