Equity & Inclusive Education

Equity – A Shared Responsibility

The foundational belief that every human being is a child of God, with an innate dignity, underlies all equity work at York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB). In partnership with the home and Church, the YCDSB believes in the need to develop students’ character through the teaching of Gospel values, and to prepare students for their role in society as engaged, productive, and responsible global citizens. York Catholic strongly believes that active and engaged citizens are aware of their rights, but more importantly, they accept responsibility for protecting their rights and the rights of others.

The York Catholic District School Board’s Equity and Inclusive Education policy provides a framework for all Board operations to ensure an educational and working environment which supports diversity by adhering to the guiding principles outlined in Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan. This plan provides a foundation and framework to meet individual needs, identify and eliminate barriers, promote a sense of belonging, engage community members, build on, and enhance previous and existing initiatives, and incorporate the principles of equity and inclusion in its actions.

techer sitting on floor with student. they are sitting in a circle with their arms in the middle of the circleThe Board is committed to improving student success and well-being and to closing achievement gaps for students by:

  • identifying, addressing, and removing all barriers and forms of discrimination,
  • celebrating student successes,
  • designing and implementing an inclusive curriculum,
  • providing staff training and professional development opportunities on equity, diversity and bias,
  • ensuring hiring decisions are fair and bias free, and
  • engaging our communities.

Equity Office

The YCDSB’s Equity Office identifies inequities and develops system-wide strategies to bring about equity, justice and harmony in a Christ-centered learning and working environment.