A Message from Superintendent Greg Baker

Dear students, staff, families and community,

A new school year brings great energy as well as thoughtful questions about our schools and district and our approach to safety and belonging.

Every new year and each day involve considerable effort to ensure that our students, who are at the heart of our work, have a supportive and enriching environment.

At Bellingham Public Schools, we want every student to feel a sense of belonging. I want to highlight some of our ongoing efforts:

• We invest in caring staff and engage community volunteers and coaches who create a culture of belonging in our schools. Our athletics and activities programs provide vast opportunities for students to be active and pursue their interests. Please check with your school to learn more.[dt_gap height="10" /]
• We demonstrate commitment to nurturing a school environment where every student feels valued and represented through a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), which includes inclusive practices, diverse book options in our libraries, a culturally-responsive curriculum, social-emotional learning and more. Our EDI webpage highlights equity and diversity supports, such as the culture calendar and meaningful professional development opportunities. We also engage students and staff with affinity groups, such as the Black Student Union and employee resource groups.[dt_gap height="10" /]
• Prioritizing student safety, we encourage everyone—students, staff, and families—to actively use the various methods available for reporting concerns. Your voice matters, and we are committed to responding quickly and effectively. In addition to speaking with a trusted adult at school, you can report concerns anonymously through our safety tip line or using the SafeSchools Alert app with code 1491. This information is available on our district and school websites, posters in schools, and on student ID cards and staff badges.

One way we hold our staff, students and community partners, and most importantly ourselves, accountable is through processes and policies. All policies are available on our website; here are some key policies: student discipline, bias incident and hate speech, gender inclusive schools and sex discrimination and sex-based harassment.

On behalf of our staff, thank you for your partnership as we continue to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for all our students this school year.

Greg Baker
Reply to: greg.baker@bellinghamschools.org