Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Since our inception as a charter school back in 2004, the Community School of Davidson (previously known as Children’s Community School) has been committed to inclusion as is evident in our mission statement.
“Our mission is to use the principles of The Basic School to provide an optimal environment for learning in which teachers and parents work together to create an inclusive community of learning.”
CSD was built on the founding principles of community and inclusion. All of the decisions made at CSD are done so through this guiding framework. At CSD, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment that values and celebrates the experiences, perspectives, and contributions of all employees, students, and families. Diversity strengthens our relationships, schools and community. Additionally, we strive to create educational experiences that broaden student perspectives and give them the opportunity to understand and celebrate multiple perspectives as they construct their own meaning of the world in which they live. A strong sense of belonging and connection is critical for every person in any community and we strive to make that a priority in our daily interactions.
What do we mean by Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging?
Diversity:
All the ways in which people and perspectives differ within the CSD community including but not limited to:
Abilities/Disabilities
Age
Appearance
Culture
Education
Ethnicity
Gender/Gender Identity
Geography
Income
Language
Life Experiences
Nationality
Occupation
Parental/Family Status
Personality
Philosophy
Political Beliefs
Race
Relationship Status
Religion
Values
Sexual Orientation
Equity:
The result of ensuring each individual has what they need to participate, learn, and succeed.
Inclusion:
The act of creating a safe and welcoming environment in which every person feels invited, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate while acknowledging the cherished uniqueness of every CSD community member.
Belonging:
A feeling of connectedness—the experience of mattering or feeling cared about, accepted, respected, valued by, and important within our CSD community.
Student Body:
We celebrate all types of diversity - cultural, racial, socioeconomic, ethnic, religious, people with disabilities, political, philosophical, etc. Our school demographics reflect the demographics of the town in which we are located, however, we exercise every possible opportunity to increase and welcome all diversity within our school. Although we included a weighted lottery in our original charter request when we applied to become a public charter school back in 2004, the request was denied because at that time, it was not a legal option for charter schools in the state of NC. When the legislation changed and weighted lotteries (based on economic disadvantage only) became legal in NC, our Board immediately amended our charter and began offering a weighted lottery option for the purposes of increasing socioeconomic diversity within our school.
Employment:
Community School of Davidson does not discriminate against any person on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, age, or disability in any of its educational or employment programs or activities. We strongly believe that the staff should reflect the type of diversity we seek to achieve in our student body. Therefore, we are actively committed to increasing diversity in our staff as well.
In closing, we want to reiterate that CSD was founded on the principles of inclusion and belonging, and we highly value every human as a unique individual. Because we are intentional about being the COMMUNITY School of Davidson, we are committed to exploring complex ideas together from a variety of perspectives. We believe that type of communal exploration allows us to recognize our shared humanity and brings us together as a community while still acknowledging and celebrating the incredible importance of each person as a unique and cherished human. We believe that every child and every family belongs at CSD