Dear Glendale Unified Students, Families, Staff, and Community:

I am profoundly heartbroken by the senseless death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police officers. Over the weekend, we saw thousands of people across our nation engage in nonviolent peaceful protests against systemic racism. The images of peaceful assembly dishearteningly have been overshadowed by civil unrest. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we come together as one Glendale community and focus on what we can influence and improve.

In Glendale Unified schools, we embrace diversity, focus on equity, and guarantee safety to accelerate learning and increase pathways for every student. We are committed to ensuring that all students attend school in a learning environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, violence, and intimidation.

In January, our School Board adopted a resolution recognizing the rich culture, contributions, and value of our African American students and community members. As part of that resolution, our district has committed to intentionally work to eliminate racism in our curricula, our classroom cultures, and our relationships with our students, our parents/guardians, and each other because our collective future depends on it. Additionally this year, our School Board members and district and school leaders made a commitment to have courageous conversations districtwide about race and equity, and work to eliminate our own implicit biases. Specifically, we are working with the USC Race and Equity Center and the Los Angeles County Office of Education to provide professional development to combat racism and all forms of discrimination.

Glendale Unified is a diverse school district that welcomes students and families from all over the world. It is important that we embrace each other’s differences, including race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or socioeconomic status. We must continue to look out for each other, create safe spaces for our youth, and teach our impressionable young people to treat everyone with kindness and empathy. Our mission is to continue to provide safe schools where every student can learn and thrive.

Sincerely,

Vivian Ekchian, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools