PTA strives to make everyone feel welcome and included within the membership and during programs and activities. ACCPTA’s goal is to enhance representation and inclusion within PTAs across the county. As a part of this effort, ACCPTA has created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
The goals of the committee are to:
- Listen to and understand the needs of all children and families;
- Welcome and engage all families;
- Encourage local PTA units to ensure they are representative of their school population;
- Work with local PTA units to help them identify and remove barriers that have historically kept people from being a part of local PTAs;
- Advocate for the needs of all families, particularly those families that are underrepresented;
- Advocate for policies that will support racial equity and reduce inequities and opportunity gaps in the current system;
- Provide resources and support to help local units accomplish these goals.
We acknowledge that every PTA unit and school community is unique, and there are many factors that influence and impact these goals. We also recognize that all children and schools benefit when those differences are recognized and celebrated. To help Alachua County PTAs build DEI within their school communities, the ACCPTA DEI Committee created a DEI in PTA Toolkit. We hope this toolkit will provide PTA units with resources to help facilitate these goals as they move toward building inclusive PTA communities within their schools. The toolkit is designed to assist PTAs no matter where they are in their diversity journey.
The toolkit is the beginning of a long-term effort to enhance DEI within Alachua County PTAs. Our committee continues to share resources and support initiatives that will help us reach our goal.