Dear Baltimore City Public Schools community,
As we continue to navigate the complex events occurring in our ever-evolving world, Baltimore City Public Schools is committed to ensuring all students, staff, and families feel welcome, seen, and heard. This standard includes honoring the right to free speech and open expression. By establishing these environments, we can encourage meaningful conversations about important issues that nurture respect, empathy, and critical thinking.
As adults, we are responsible for modeling and supporting appropriate civil discourse. We respect the right of individuals to hold passionate positions on community issues. At the heart of this work lies the essential task of creating safe spaces where all students feel empowered to share their thoughts and engage with differing perspectives. This rich exchange of ideas broadens perspectives and cultivates a sense of belonging and community within our schools.
At the same time, it is essential to protect the rights of others. Employees and students may not engage in speech and activities that infringe on the rights of others. Hate speech, discrimination, personal attacks, or other forms of harassment or dehumanizing behavior will not be tolerated. Our nondiscrimination policy states that employees and students may not engage in speech and activities that infringe on the rights of others.
Our guidelines for staff participation in political activities (Policy GBI) and the prohibition against harassment (Policy JICK) reinforce those rules. We also encourage you to read our annual Family Guide and Employee Handbook, both of which set guidelines for the civility and respect of all in our halls.
We aim to ensure that students, staff, and families are informed and engaged in this critical work. The offices of Academics and Equity will share a series of resources with our educators designed to strengthen our collective efforts. These materials will provide guidance on best practices for facilitating discussions, strategies for creating inclusive environments, and tools for integrating these principles into our curricula.
We want our students to learn about the world and become active citizens. Their voices and values matter, and they deserve to be heard. It is important to remember that we must respect and honor the rights of others.
Thank you.