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Equity Task Force

  • The CVUSD Equity Task Force (ETF) is a diverse group of dedicated parents, educators and students committed to ensuring that EVERY child in our district has the opportunity to excel and thrive. This outcome is made real through equity. Equity is achieved when group identity no longer predicts the course of a person’s life and every child has what they need to succeed.

    Like our nation, CVUSD serves a group of students that reflect a diverse cross-section of identities—including those that have experienced both historic marginalization and ongoing discrimination. The ETF works to overcome the disparities that result by mending gaps in equity in order to broaden opportunities for EVERY child.

    The ETF knows we are a better and stronger school district when our kids are the center of our focus and when our community stands behind that focus. We believe that our objectives echo the sentiments of every parent in our district – that your children deserve to learn in an environment where they feel safe and valued and have access to resources to promote their social, emotional and academic success.

    Help us to create a more supportive and inclusive learning environment at CVUSD. We welcome your ideas.

    To read more, please click here.

History

  • During the June 2, 2020, Board meeting, Dr. McLaughlin, Superintendent, CVUSD, announced the need for our district to launch an Equity Task Force. Dr. McLaughlin’s recommendation came on the heels of the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd, national and local protests regarding discrimination and racism and ultimately a reflection that as the leader of a comprehensive public school district there is a moral imperative to be transparent in our responsibility and obligation to create an inclusive and safe learning environment for all students - and in particular for our students, families and staff that are persons of color.

Building the Task Force

  • The formation of the inaugural 15 member Equity Task Force was a thoughtful process that took place across approximately two months. An initial message was shared with our community inviting interested individuals (staff, parents, students, other family members and community members) to submit an interest form. Over 200 individuals responded. A subsequent interest form was requested for the original interested individuals to complete, this time with specific questions about the individuals race, ethnicity, primary language, role and an open ended question about any other indicator that would inform CVUSD about background and/or experiences with equity. Approximately 130 individuals responded.

    In an effort to create a non-biased process for member selection, four educational leaders outside of CVUSD, who also represent racial, ethnic and primary language diversity, were invited to volunteer their time in the selection process. The four individuals who made up the Equity Task Force Forming Committee are:

    • Mr. Daryton Ramsey, Director of Accountability and Continuous Improvement, Ventura County Office of Education
    • Dr. Zenda Mitchell-Abbott, Consultant (Previously Director of CTE Outreach and Support, Ventura County Office of Education)
    • Ms. Elena Jaloma, Director of Student Support Services, California Lutheran University
    • Ms. Diana Herndandez, Admissions Counselor, California Lutheran University

Equity Task Force Members

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  • For any questions, concerns or suggestions about the Equity Task Force, please feel free to contact:
    Ricardo Araiza, Ed.D.
    Director, Multilingual Learners and Equity
    Conejo Valley Unified School District
    raraiza@conejousd.org