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Chon’tel Washington

A Message from Director of DEI Chon’tel Washington

It is an honor and privilege to serve as the inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for Belmont Public Schools. It has been my pleasure to meet school and district leadership, parents and students, and community organizations. I have observed Belmont to be a caring and responsive community, and I look forward to connecting and collaborating. To champion the meaning of diversity, equity, and inclusion, we must work together to start the conversation of significant systematic change. My objective is to design and implement strategic adjustments that advance the district goals for Belmont to be a more equitable and inclusive school district. 

To read more about me and how I arrived at Belmont, please see the district introduction by Director of Human Capital, Michael McAllister. Also, please see below for information about the vital DEI work of the district. Finally, be sure to visit our page frequently, as this site will serve as a living document of the equity work in the district and will be updated often.

Sincerely,

Chon’tel Washington (she, her)
Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Belmont Public Schools
Email Chon’tel Washington

The BPS Office of DEI is Committed to: 

Supporting educators in weaving social, racial, and economic justice into the district's curriculum, work processes, projects, and relationships. This includes equipping our educators with appropriate  knowledge, tools, and safety to adequately address challenges, with necessary severity, to become champions of change in the district. 

Focal points:

  • Continue building upon the district's Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) by developing consistent implementation methods across schools

  • Reflect on, interrogate, and integrate, identity and accountability of self and others (for staff and students) 

  • Engage in courageous conversations about current events and historical topics (for staff and students) 

  • Work to create safe and brave spaces (i.e. learning environments) where students can learn from one another and engage in transformative discourse that challenges worldview and perspectives 

  • Commit to cultivating welcoming working and social environments that ensure all staff, in particular diverse staff, are comfortable and are excited to be in Belmont schools to perform as their best self and highest capacity

  • Bring on and collaborate with experts qualified to examine curriculum, develop an inclusive and antiracist pedagogy where students can see themselves represented, and increase educator skill and comfort in leading the content

  • Collaborate with human resources to assess and increase workforce diversity and retention of educators of color

  • Provide parents, staff, and community members a voice in how BPS provides educational opportunities to students of color and acknowledges the intersectionality of various demographic variables that affect educational outcomes

  • Address hate incidents - this includes creating a cohesive process for students or staff to log the occurrence, to advise on accountability measures, and for school leaders to transparently communicate to families and community members about details, according to the incident 

  • Address Equity Audit findings.

An inclusive learning environment will allow all students to learn uninhibitedly, make more significant interpersonal connections with peers and educators, see themselves in the curriculum and surroundings, and protect space for that student to bring their whole authentic self to the learning environment. This enriches everyone's learning experience overall. 

Read our Vision and Mission Statement

All above commitments require consistent implementation methods across all BPS schools.