Press Release Details
Press Release Message
Press Release
San Francisco (December 1, 2023) - The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) will celebrate Inclusive Schools Week from Dec. 4 to 8, as part of its year-long celebration of all students in the district. During Inclusive Schools Week, SFUSD schools will implement discussions and activities that promote inclusion and ability awareness including read alouds, classroom presentations, art projects, and Special Olympics of Northern California will be hosting Athlete assemblies.
This annual event is an opportunity for students, families and staff to come together to honor students with disabilities as full members of school communities. As part of Inclusive Schools Week, SFUSD has created an Inclusion Website and a Resource Guide which can be used for inspiration during Inclusive Schools Week and to increase inclusion, ability awareness and sense of belonging all year long.
“Inclusive Schools Week is a time to celebrate the heart of what public schools are about: in SFUSD we include everyone—and I mean everyone—in our classrooms and our schoolyards,” SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne said. “I am excited to join our schools in championing the progress we are making in providing safe and supportive learning environments for an increasingly diverse student population.”
Inclusive Schools Week is a disability forward event that promotes a sense of belonging. It provides an opportunity for SFUSD educators and community members to teach students about the intersection of disabilities with other categories of identity, like race, gender, class, cultural heritage, language preference and other differences. The theme for Inclusive Schools Week 2023 is "Draw Me In!" Participating in art provides a pathway to self-discovery, and sharing art opens doors to understanding and respecting different ways of thinking.
This year SFUSD is excited to partner with SFMOMA and the ARC who will be hosting a Holiday Sing Along in partnership with the SFUSD Access Program. SFUSD is also partnering with the Children’s Creativity Museum and Support for Families to create an interactive mural through their at home Mystery Box challenge and hosting a free community access hour. Go here for more information about Inclusive Schools Week activities and events. Members of the media, please email newsline@sfusd.edu or call (415) 241-6565 if you are interested in covering any Inclusive Schools Week events.
SFUSD has been celebrating Inclusive Schools Week during the first week in December since 2010, when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom issued a Mayoral Proclamation on Inclusive Schools Week. In 2013, the SF Board of Education issued a resolution on Guiding Principles Regarding Inclusive Education Practices for the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).
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