A Message from Superintendent Bret Champion
Dear Medford Community,
Hearing of the horrific death of George Floyd, my heart broke. I mourn with Mr. Floyd’s family, the community, and the nation, and am heartbroken and angry over any racist acts and senseless killings of Black and African American people. The Medford School District condemns racism in any form, from any person, or in any system.
And as a system, we must take action. We must consider the steps we next take to do our part to eradicate bias. We remember our shared vision, that all are learning and learning is for all, and recognize that, if we truly believe those words, we must continue to learn from the experiences of others, and then do something about it. To our families of color, we SEE you, we VALUE you, and we STAND with you.
As a school district, we commit to ensuring that our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team (made up of diverse educators and parents), which has taken some strong steps in the past, will continue to guide our efforts to view our work with an equity lens, and take steps to ensure barriers for our diverse and marginalized learners are removed. We commit to continuing to strengthen the relationships that our Black and African American Student Success groups have created, and will ensure that the work continues, as we seek to end bias in our schools. And as we work to “harmonize community,” as our strategic planning team has exhorted us to do, we commit to better educate ourselves, our teachers, our staff, and our students on the effects that racism, bias, and inequity can have on a community, on a family, and on a person.
The Medford School District mourns the death of George Floyd and all victims of racial brutality. We pledge to increase our efforts to eradicate racism, bias, and inequity in our system, as we strive to be part of a community and a country that is truly free for ALL.
Respectfully,
Bret Champion
Superintendent
