Federal Way Public Schools Community,

We, the Federal Way Public Schools Board of Directors, want to share with you our values and our unshakeable commitment to racial equity in light of the events that have occurred over the last week, with the horrific killing of George Floyd, and other examples of outright attacks on Black men and women in this country. As members of the Board we are mothers, fathers, friends, and neighbors. We work here in our Federal Way School District community, and we want you to know we are aware, listening and care.

As a Board, through our policy work, we have collectively led for racial equity for the 23,000+ scholars in Federal Way Public Schools. This is especially important in light of the fact that we are the most diverse district in the state and the fifth most diverse district in the nation. There is no place for racism in this world, in this community, and in our schools. This means that we dream BIG for EVERY child in Federal Way Public Schools. We are relentless in supporting equitable practices, empowering scholar voice, and looking at data to ensure we are seeing the outcomes that tell us we are closing opportunity gaps that are the direct result of institutional and structural racism. 

In looking at the peaceful rallies that are occurring across the world and right here in Federal Way, we are inspired to see the age, racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the protesters. We recognize the importance of elevating voice of our young people at times like these and we encourage families to listen to your children and to create a space for dialogue that equips our scholars to be contributors of more just communities.

We acknowledge and support the work of our educators and Superintendent to address racial inequities in our schools and cultivate equitable learning environments. We will continue to lead at the policy level to ensure Federal Way Public Schools is an anti-racist organization and is continually improving its work of ensuring our scholars have a voice, a dream and a very bright future.