Equity & Inclusion
"The Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education does hereby commit to stand against any and all acts of racism, disrespect, violence, and inequitable treatment of any person and will work to eradicate racism and to create more equitable and inclusive schools for all children."
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Defined
Diversity: A range of ideas, opinions, perspectives, experiences, and decision-makers across race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, language, culture, national origin, religious commitments, age, (dis)ability status, political perspective, and other variables related to life experience.
Equity: Equal outcomes through just and fair practices, policies, and procedures, particularly for the historically underserved. Disruption and dismantling of any identified institutional barrier or situation that unfairly or unjustly impacts a specific population based on their identity.
Inclusion: Equal opportunities and resources for all individuals. Deliberate efforts to ensure that differences are welcomed and valued, differing perspectives are respectfully and empathically heard, and every individual feels a sense of belonging, community, and agency.
Our Core Belief and Mission
"Bloomfield Hills Schools strives to be an inclusive learning environment for students of all abilities and backgrounds where every student find success. It is the responsibilitiy of members of the school community from students, staff, parents and residents of Bloomfield Hills to integrate equitable and inclusive initiatives in everything that we do. We are committed to this work and know we have much still to do."
Pat Watson, Superintendent
Deaf Awareness Month
Deaf Awareness Month Celebrates Culture, Heritage, Language.
The purpose of Deaf Awareness Month, celebrated annually in September, is to help raise awareness about the language, culture, and diversity of the Deaf community in the United States.
The month also encourages everyone to, among other things:
- Learn about inclusion and accessibility, including the importance of providing captioned content or sign language interpreters in, among other places, corporate, classroom, or live sporting and entertainment settings.
- Discover ways to promote the rights of deaf people and access to education and technologies.
- Educate about the misconceptions of being deaf and the challenges the deaf population face in everyday life.
- Understand that deaf and hard of hearing individuals are just as capable and able as hearing individuals.
Deaf Awareness Month began in 1958 as the “International Day of the Deaf,” and was first celebrated by the World Federation of the Deaf. The day later was extended to a full week, becoming the International Week of the Deaf. Though different countries and regions of the world celebrate differently, the purpose of the event remains true across borders.
Deaf Awareness Month Resources
Resources for Continued Education
Bloomfield Hills Schools Partnerships
BHS is part of the NEP BELE District Network: The NEP Building Equitable Learning Environments (BELE) District Network is a cohort of school districts from across the country committed to dream, disrupt, and co-design more equitable, healing-centered, and joyful purposes of school and approaches to teaching and learning in partnership with Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students.
BHS is also in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League and all of our schools are working towards the ADL Designation of being a "No Place for Hate" school. The program is student-led and focused on improving the climate of the school for all students. Our work with the ADL also supports cultivating student leadership, uniting the school community, and engaging students and staff in active learning.