Commitment to Belonging

Back in the 2018/19 school year, Mount Horeb Area School District met monthly with other Dane County school districts to learn and collaborate in order to eliminate barriers and create fair and unbiased opportunities for all students.   While the consortium ended, the knowledge and relationships formed have laid the groundwork for the district's continued efforts.

As stated in the Board of Education’s Mission Statement, the District is “dedicated to nurturing, educating, and challenging all students”.  The word “all” was not in the original development of the mission statement but was added by the Board of Education during the 2020/2021 school year.  This commitment has shaped the direction of the district’s work and influenced the District’s Strategic Plan.

Additionally, the Board of Education developed and approved a statement reaffirming its dedication to anti-racism and supporting every student. This statement was first shared before the start of the 2020/2021 school year, with the Board reaffirming its commitment in December 2021.  As part of this effort, the District’s Senior Leadership Team developed a Commitment to Action, shared with district staff and the wider community via the local newspaper.

Both the Board of Education and the Senior Leadership Team are reviewing these previous statements and will work to develop updated statements that better reflect the current culture and commitments for all.

• February 10, 2025 -- Community Feedback Night Supporting the Children and Families - Presentation
• March 6, 2024 -- Community Learning Night  with a Cultural Potluck and Belonging Workshop focus - Presentation
• March 20, 2023 -- Board of Education reviews and supports Responses to Negative Student Actions, Behaviors, and Language
• December 12, 2022 -- Community Learning Night on District Responses to Discriminatory Student Actions, Behaviors, and Language - Presentation & Video Recording
• April 13, 2022 -- Community Curriculum Learning Night Centered on Diversity and Belonging-  Presentation & Video Recording

The District has also partnered with Nehemiah: Center for Urban Leadership Development

to respond to the specific needs of our students and families.  This partnership formally began during the 2020/2021 school year and continues to the present day.  Nehemiah consultants have supported and facilitated the creation of a district committee that meets monthly and currently has 20-25 members composed of teachers, student services members, support staff, and administrators.  

Outcomes of the committee’s work include the following:

• Student and Community Engagement: Listening sessions were provided to students, families, and the greater community to better understand the community and district standards for work around diversity and belonging.  This Summary of Community Listening Sessions is the outcome of the first series of listening sessions.  These sessions are slated to continue into the near future. 

• Policies and Procedures: Committee leaders worked to develop an Equitable Decision-Making Framework for administrators, board members, and educators to reflect upon when making decisions in conjunction with making equitable decisions for all students, staff, and families.  Additionally, as all Mount Horeb Area School District students and staff deserve a welcoming, supportive, and safe school environment, this Response to Negative Student Actions, Behaviors, and Language decision guide was created.  

• Professional Development: Over 200 staff completed a self-assessment survey on their personal and professional understanding of diversity and belonging; these self-assessments occurred in November 2021 and February 2025.  This information was used to develop a learning scope and sequence for staff.  This committee created a multi-year learning plan while also providing “just-in-time” learning to address societal events and issues as they present themselves.

Community listening and learning sessions have been provided over the school year.  More information on these presentations and other presentations can be found on our Family Learning Series page.

February 12, 2024 -- All staff discussed various hypothetical scenarios that addressed bias or discriminatory student actions, behaviors, or language.  A Responding to Bias Incidents: Strategies to Stop the Behavior document outlining simple, yet effective strategies were provided to staff. 

Wis. Admin. Code § PI 9.06 requires school boards to evaluate the status of nondiscrimination and equality of educational opportunity in the school district at least once every five years and report the results to the Department of Public Instruction.  The findings of this review can be found in this report conducted during the 2023-2024 school year.