The HPS Equity Task Force has been making strides in recent months to support the district’s equity and diversity commitments, which were retooled and reaffirmed as part of the strategic planning process that concluded in 2022.
The task force, which includes staff from across the district, meets regularly to identify and address equity issues and support equity work at the district level. Recently, equity task force members helped reshape the family handbook to include helpful resources. They are also available to support equity learning, and have taken the lead with planning and facilitating our newly launched staff affinity groups, which officially debuted yesterday, Thursday, February 29, during a meeting at the HHS Dean Campus. They include Latino/Latina/Latinx, Black, LGBTQ+, and Ally groups.
“Affinity Groups will help us cultivate and foster an inclusive community here at HPS,” said HPS Superintendent Anthony Soto. “Long-term benefits for participants include contributing to a greater sense of belonging to the HPS community, connection with colleagues across the district, and making our community more just and equitable.”
These first affinity groups are just the starting point. Additional groups will launch as facilitators are trained. “A commitment of HPS is for every staff member and every child to feel safe and included in our community,” Superintendent Soto explained. “Affinity groups are one way we are providing this safe, inclusive space for staff. Affinity groups also allow us to respect, embrace and honor the diversity of our staff and to lift the voices of those who have been excluded in the past by creating safe spaces for our staff who have not had as many opportunities to have their voices heard.”