For the first time, the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) will adopt a Community Pledge that acknowledges a commitment to inclusivity, civility, honoring the learning environment and tolerance. The pledge will be launched and formally adopted at the Aug. 23 BHUSD Board of Education meeting, where administration, teachers, staff, students and parents and community members are invited to attend and sign it. The campaign around the pledge will continue throughout the year.
“We have Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs at each of the schools that reinforce the positive behaviors that we expect of our kids, but we have never set those expectations for the entire school community including the Board, parents, and our staff,” Board President Mary Wells told the Courier. “And so, to kick off the year, we are launching The Community Pledge to set the tone and standards for our behavior. As a community we want to create the environment that supports our students and each other. We want everyone to be treated respectfully and we will hold each other accountable. The Community Pledge acknowledges our commitment to do just that.”
As a community we want to support the expectations we have for our students and each other. We want to be treated with respect and hold each other accountable to that, especially when we have an election coming up.
The pledge was introduced to BHUSD staff on Aug. 12 and will be brought back on Aug. 24 for parents and students to sign on back-to-school night.
“We’re going to invite everybody to sign it,” Wells told the Courier. “The cabinet, all the PTA presidents and their executive board, the site council, the principals, the Associated Student Body–we’re going to try and get as many leaders as we can to come to our board meeting to sign it at that meeting, as well as ourselves.”
School board members are currently conceptualizing the ways in which the pledge will be used, including being placed at all campuses and in school communications. The pledge is expected to be integrated in a variety of way, including at the beginning of each board meeting, before class starts, before sports games and more.
Over the summer, the board and cabinet held planning sessions to prepare for the new school year–something past boards have never done, according to President Wells. The pledge initiative stemmed from President Wells’ goal to improve the functionality of the board. Moving forward, the admin planning meetings will take place annually before classes begin. During the planning sessions, the cabinet also “fine-tuned” the BHUSD Mission Statement, Vision Statement and Values and Governance Handbook, which will be approved by the board at the Aug. 23 meeting.
Wells has called on fellow board members to invite their respective liaison committees and city commissioners to sign their names and take the pledge at the upcoming board meeting.
“The energy at the schools is very high,” Wells said. “Everyone has a positive attitude and is excited about the changes that have been made to set us up for success in the coming year, and you can really feel it.”
The next board meeting will be at 5 p.m. on Aug. 23 at the Jon Cherney Lecture Hall at Beverly Hills High School.
Aug. 24 for parents and students to sign on back-to-school night.
“We’re going to invite everybody to sign it,” Wells told the Courier. “The cabinet, all the PTA presidents and their executive board, the site council, the principals, the Associated Student Body–we’re going to try and get as many leaders as we can to come to our board meeting to sign it at that meeting, as well as ourselves.”
School board members are currently conceptualizing the ways in which the pledge will be used, including being placed at all campuses and in school communications. The pledge is expected to be integrated in a variety of ways, including at the beginning of each board meeting, before class starts, before sports games and more.
Over the summer, the board and cabinet held planning sessions to prepare for the new school year–something past boards have never done, according to President Wells.
The pledge initiative stemmed from President Wells’ goal to improve the functionality of the board. Moving forward, the admin planning meetings will take place annually before classes begin. During the planning sessions, the cabinet also “fine-tuned” the BHUSD Mission Statement, Vision Statement and Values and Governance Handbook, which will be approved by the board at the Aug. 23 meeting.
Wells has called on fellow board members to invite their respective liaison committees and city commissioners to sign their names and take the pledge at the upcoming board meeting.
“The energy at the schools is very high,” Wells said. “Everyone has a positive attitude and is excited about the changes that have been made to set us up for success in the coming year, and you can really feel it.”
The next board meeting will be at 5 p.m. on Aug. 23 at the Jon Cherney Lecture Hall at Beverly Hills High School.
