Equity and Access

Important Parent Information

• Free and Reduced Lunch Financial Eligibility Form
• District Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP)
• 504 Policy Contacts: [East, West]
• Bullying Prevention Plans
• Home Hospital Instructional Services Policy
• Work Permit
• Access to Education, Student Privacy, and Immigration Enforcement Policy

Family Engagement

1. 1. Adult Education Center at Cape Cod Community College (English and HiSet classes for community members)
   2. Barnstable Newcomers Club (Not just for newcomers!)
   3. NAACP of Cape Cod
   4. Sturgis Charter School Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC) (for parents of students with special educational plans)
   5. PFLAG Cape Cod (Parents and Friends of LGBTQ+ people)

What is a bias-motivated incident? 

A bias-motivated incident happens when there is a violation of the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act. A bias-motivated incident is when there is interference or attempted interference via threats, intimidation, or coercion with a person’s use or enjoyment of their civil rights. If the incident is based on sex or gender, it may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator (Link to Title IX Page) 

What is a hate crime? 

A  hate crime is a violation of the Massachusetts hate crime statute and is any criminal act motivated fully or partially by someone’s identity as part of a protected class or any interference, deprivation, or attempted interference or deprivation of someone exercising their constitutional rights. 

What are bias motivated behaviors? 

Bias-motivated behavior occurs when a student or other member of the school community is treated differently/discriminated against or is the target of an offensive comment because of their membership in a protected group. Bias-motivated behaviors include, but are not limited to, acts based on actual or perceived characteristics of individuals or groups of persons in a protected group such as slurs, epithets, hate speech, or symbols.

What is a protected group? 

The protected classes are race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation.  The Massachusetts Student Anti-Discrimination Act (G.L. c. 76, 5)

Who is a Bystander/Witness? 

• A WITNESS is a person who observes (sees, hears) a bias incident.
• BYSTANDERS are persons who observe, but do not respond to a bias incident.

Additional Resources: 

• Sturgis Bullying Plan
• Nondiscrimination Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Massachusetts School Hate Crime Resource Guide
• Staff/Faculty Title IX Training

In recognition of the evolving needs of our educational community, Sturgis Charter Public School reaffirms its commitment to our mission of IB for All. In accordance with the International Baccalaureate Organization, we strive to create a better world through education. To this end, Sturgis Charter Public School acknowledges our responsibility to foster global citizenship, conscientious stewardship of the environment, and celebration of our differences. Sturgis recognizes that there is work still to be done to foster learning that builds a deeper understanding of ourselves and our world and commits to creating a learning environment that is safe, supportive, and welcoming for all our students. In addition, we offer the following commitments:

1. We will strive to embed diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging into all aspects of student learning, including policies and procedures in order to increase a sense of belonging for all community members.
2. We will apply an anti-bias and anti-racist lens to examine our practices for employees and students.
3. We seek to uplift and amplify the voices of those impacted by systemic oppression, colonization, personal or historic circumstances, and those with traditionally marginalized identities.
4. We acknowledge how privilege and power structures impact our learning community.
5. We commit to continually develop our understanding of how implicit and explicit biases can impact learning for both educators and students.
6. Our community supports efforts to be more diverse, open, and inclusive while standing against injustice and intolerance in the form of prejudice, racism, homophobia, discrimination, and marginalization.

More than 50 years ago, the IB was born out of a commitment to develop a new way of thinking about teaching, learning, and assessment–grounded in education for a better and more peaceful world. Our historic mission emphasizes our shared humanity and the bonds that tie us together in one global community. Our responsibility to the world and to the people and systems that shape its future is enormous. Our resolution to continuously improve to create a better and more peaceful world through education that builds intercultural understanding and respect must always reflect current thinking and changing expectations around the globe with respect to DEI. Humanity and its relationship to and with the planet are complex. We want to understand and celebrate our differences while recognizing and valuing the things that we share in common with each other and the rest of the earth.

As we begin our journey under new leadership and set out a renewed strategy that will guide us forward, now is the time to refresh and solidify our commitment to a series of values, and to commit to living by them both in our work internally as an employer but also as a global education organization with enormous reach and responsibility to shape the learners of the future.