Equitable Practices

Embarking upon an ambitious, goal-driven Equity Action Plan in 2022, the School District of Springfield Township is proud to share that as we close out 2024, we have met or exceeded all of our goals. From adopting and enforcing an Educational Equity Policy to training staff members, creating K-12 course guides with language accessibility, soliciting feedback from ALL stakeholders, and creating a system to welcome and onboard new students, we are proud of the work that we do here in Springfield Township to ensure the best possible outcomes for all students. While our equity work is on-going as the district is currently partnering with the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium to conduct a district-wide audit and help create an Equity Action Plan for the 2025 to 2028 time period, we are excited to share more information about our current work.

For more information about the 1st Equity Action Plan and equity work in the district, check out our Equity Action Plan A Three Year Lookback:2022 to 2024. On January 21, 2025, Superintendent, Dr. Yannacone, along with Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Johnston, and Dr. Lutz, the Director of Support Services, presented on the Year 3 Goals at the board meeting. If you are interested in watching the presentation, Board meetings and filmed and available for viewing.

In late January and early February, all students in Grades 3 through 12 participated in the district's Winter Belonging Survey. This 20 question survey is administered three times per year and helps to inform the district's equity work. Overall, our data is strong suggesting that students feel a sense of belonging, have trusted adults in the building and feel safe at school.

The School District of Springfield Township is pleased to present the 2024-2025 family information series, "It's Tough to Be a Parent." Mark your calendars for our upcoming events!

• Social Awakening with Max Stossel: April 1st at 6:30pm (Registration Link)

• Cannabis, Kids, and Solutions for Anxiety: May 21st at 6:30pm (Registration Link)

All events will be held via Zoom. Please register to receive the link.

Recognizing the diversity of our community, The School District of Springfield Township is committed to and accountable for advancing equity and excellence for all of our students. We, in the School District of Springfield Township, endeavor to provide equitable opportunities for high level, meaningful, and engaging learning experiences for each and every student, regardless of racial/ethnic background, economic condition or other dimension of identity or difference.

We recognize that in order to achieve Educational Equity we must apply principles of fairness and justice in the allocation of resources and work toward the elimination of institutional barriers to access and opportunity. We aim to ensure that funding, policies, practices, and initiatives will enable every student to receive what they need to maximize their success. In order to foster growth toward equity, we must engage in continuous reflection and ongoing measurement of our efforts.

Our district is a proud member of the DVCEE, Delaware Valley Consortium for Excellence and Equity, an organization sponsored by the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Springfield Township is proud to continue our membership and work collaboratively with the 37 other districts in the Greater Philadelphia region to enhance equitable educational practices for all students.

For more information on DVCEE, please visit their website.

• Ensure that access and opportunity yield measurable outcomes (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Collaborate with parent organizations to develop a roadmap for decision-making K-12 (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Explore scholarships/reduced fees, and sibling childcare to improve access to extracurriculars (Complete)
• Create systems of support so that families, students and staff members new to the district learn and understand how to navigate systems (Complete)
• Identify, review, and report on primary indicators of growth/achievement (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Provide enrichment opportunities at the elementary level after school (Complete)

• Create a system for the collection, review and dissemination of relevant data (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Elicit feedback from students, staff, and families (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Create a K-12 course overview with language accessibility (Complete)
• Simplify and focus our communication to families (Complete)
• Improve our website's accessibility and ease of use/clarity (Complete)
• Train our MTSS teams to utilize the MTSS process to improve our systems of identification/readiness (Complete and embedded in practices)
• Utilize an online platform for feedback from students and families (Complete and embedded in practices)
• Continue to communicate and implement recommended strategies for recruitment and retention of a diverse, representative workforce across the district (On-going and embedded in practices)

• Adopt and enforce an Educational Equity Policy (Complete)
• Identify administrator responsible for conducting review and analysis of data and leadership of EAP (Complete)
• Communicate the purpose and goals of the EAP broadly and consistently (Complete)
• Support conversations in the classroom that help students to be prepared for difficult topics and conversations around equity (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Improve safety for marginalized students, including students of color and LGBTQ+ students (On-going)
• Utilize analytics to assess the impact our communication has on students and families (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Create feedback/communication system for parent teacher conferences (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Provide training for ALL district staff on equitable practices that are able to be implemented in the classroom and across district offices (On-going and embedded in practices)

The following information is shared with families to help strengthen equity conversations in the home. Please note that these resources are not shared in the schools. However, we encourage families to use these resources to engage your children in conversations around equity in the home.

School policies that include harsh punishments, automatic out-of-class time and police involvement for discipline contribute to pushing young people out of classrooms and into the criminal legal system. These punitive practices disproportionately affect Black and other children of color, students with disabilities, young people experiencing poverty and children from communities that have been historically marginalized.

Urgent change is needed to end school pushout and dismantle this school-to-prison pipeline. Together, families, educators and community members can advocate for and implement practices that prioritize mental health and well-being and do not push children out of the classroom.

We offer these resources to open dialogue, shift practices and foster change to benefit all young people.

Source: Learning For Justice, February 10, 2025

The Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People amplifies the experiences of more than 18,000 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 across the United States.

For the sixth year, the U.S. National Survey uncovers the reality that there is a significant association between anti-LGBTQ+ victimization and disproportionately high rates of suicide risk — and that far too many young people struggle to access the mental health care they need.

The survey critically provides data-driven ways we can all show support and acceptance for the LGBTQ+ young people in our lives, based on their own responses — as well as the potentially life-saving benefits of creating affirming spaces and communities.

Source: The Trevor Project