Dear Los Altos School District Community, 

In the midst of a global pandemic that has laid bare the persistent inequities in our nation, our hearts are heavy from the recent race-related killings and ensuing events.  As protests surge in our local communities and beyond, we feel the need to speak out.  Silence and inaction only perpetuate injustice, bias, and racism.

In LASD we value and teach equity, diversity and inclusion.  We actively teach our students conflict resolution, to communicate their own feelings of injustice, and to rise against intolerance in defense of others.

But, recent events clearly show we must do more.  As a school district, we must ensure our students understand the injustices people of color face every day and work with our children to build a more just world together.

We are all partners in this effort.  Below are some resources to engage in direct discussions on culture and race with children. Even our youngest children can learn about race and racism in ways appropriate for them.

●    NPR Podcast: Why All Parents Should Talk with their Kids about Social Identity
●    Teaching Tolerance: Lessons for the classroom and home and A Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Responding to Prejudice
●    Today’s Parent: How to Talk to Kids about Racism, an age by age guide

For our part and as the governance team of our school district, we commit to our families, students and teachers, that we, as an entire school district community, will work to ensure our students are empowered with the tools to build a more equitable and just world.

We can and will do better for our children.

As always, thank you for your partnership.

Jeffrey Baier, Superintendent
Bryan Johnson, President, Board of Trustees
Vaishali Sirkay, Vice President, Board of Trustees
Steve Taglio, Clerk, Board of Trustees
Vladimir Ivanovic, Member, Board of Trustees
Jessica Speiser, Member, Board of Trustees