Jefferson County Open School’s Graduation Requirements Include “Intersectionality”

The Jefferson County School District’s graduation requirement includes being a responsible global citizen. Students need to “develop critical thinking skills and expand their
perspectives on U.S. and world history, geography, civics, and economics through multiple lens, including social justice and intersectionality, in order to become responsible global citizens.”

The term “Intersectionality” has been addressed by Jefferson in Jeffco Public Schools Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Tenets.

Intersectional Lens We will honor the complex and beautiful identities of our community by addressing inequities in a way that incorporates the multiple dimensions of diversity and stays attentive to the compounding of inequities.   

Jefferson County Schools has also been affiliated with New York Time’s 1619 curriculum.

Jefferson County Open School established “The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team, as well as other departments in Jeffco” which “have strived to elevate the needs of historically underserved students and families through multiple methods at both the systemic and individual levels.”

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team’s duties include:

• Policy enhancements
• Professional learning on a variety topics related to equity and inclusion, such as restorative practices, educational equity, implicit bias, culturally responsive teaching, responding to slurs, and many others
• School and departmental collaborations to deepen equity in practice
• Advancing systemic and individualized support for employees of color
• Student programming (such as Student Voice, Day Without Hate, workshops) and direct support
• Community engagement efforts