Priority #4: Safe and Welcoming Environments

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Initiative: Supporting the whole child

All areas of student development will be supported and nurtured. All students will be safe, known, and supported in school.

This is important because the social and emotional needs of students must be met for students to feel safe to learn in the classroom. All students’ unique cultural and social characteristics and experiences will be honored and valued, and students will receive the targeted supports they need. Our learning environments will inspire lifelong learning across different spaces and communities for students to be successful in whatever path they choose.

All schools will implement multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) and positive behavioral intervention and supports (PBIS) plans with strategies to support students’ needs. All schools will use curriculum that supports social emotional learning and students will receive wraparound, therapeutic supports when needed. Data will inform decision making at the school and district level.

Success metrics: decrease in student discipline rates, increase in student attendance rates.

Initiative: Culturally and linguistically welcoming environments

Our learning environments will be safe, supportive, and inclusive of our diverse community.

When schools are welcoming environments that are culturally and linguistically responsive, students, staff, and families will feel more comfortable and valued. When our community feels valued, they are more likely to participate in the learning inside the classroom and the activities that support learning outside the classroom.

Students will see themselves and their experiences reflected in the curriculum and will feel supported, which will lead to increased engagement. Staff will be representative of our student demographics. Classrooms will be physically and culturally welcoming and schools will be more accessible to families and community members.

This initiative includes working with families to help identify barriers to involvement and staff will work to address them. Students will have opportunities to safely share their experiences and perspectives. Programs and policies in schools will reflect and respect the diversity in our community. All schools will have an atmosphere that is family-friendly and reflective of the Shelton community.

Success metrics: decrease in student discipline rates, increase in student attendance rates.