The strength of BC schools lies in the diversity of the students and staffs who enter their doors each day. Our classrooms are filled with students from a vast array of cultural backgrounds and lived experiences, all contributing to rich and dynamic learning environments. Because our schools and districts embrace and value diversity, there is a collective responsibility to ensure that everyone in our school communities feels seen, heard, and respected.

We all aspire to achieving a school ecosystem that is open and inclusive. However, when a racist incident occurs in a school, it is important that school and district leaders can follow common recommended practices to respond to instances of harm, and feel secure that those practices align with local policies, procedures, and safety protocols.

The BC Ministry of Education and Child Care’s recently released Racism Response Guidelines are a critical step forward in supporting schools in responding to issues of racial harm, and the BCPVCPA and our members are very grateful to the Ministry and all of those who contributed to this guide.

The Racism Response Guidelines have been crafted through extensive collaboration, deep reflection, and the unwavering commitment of many dedicated education and community leaders. Among those instrumental in shaping this work were members of the BCPVPA, Principals and Vice-Principals whose leadership, expertise, and perspective were pivotal in ensuring the Guidelines reflect the realities and needs of BC schools.

The Guidelines are a clear and comprehensive framework for identifying and addressing incidents of racism and hate in schools. These incidents can occur in many forms, including through micro/macroaggressions; non-verbal harm; music, multimedia, and social media; graffiti and other acts of vandalism; verbal hate and/or harassment; and physical violence and threats of violence. In clear and plain language, the Guidelines describe the recommended processes involved in responding to an incident, both immediately and in the aftermath: how to stop the incident, where to offer support, ensuring documentation and accountability, and the restorative and reflective actions required. Scenarios are included to help with unpacking the descriptions of the incidents, and towards the ongoing objective of developing trauma-sensitive practices; the discussion questions that are posed are a great prompt for your own discussions at Chapter meetings or through other connections with colleagues. The Guidelines also offer an excellent compendium of references and resources, and a valuable response chart that will help you to support both the harmer and the harmed.

I hope that you can take a moment to review the Guidelines, and ensure that this document is available in your toolbox, and accessible when you need it most. Thank you for everything that you do to bring a critical lens to the anti-racism and inclusion work in your schools and districts.