At Belmont Middle School we take issues of bias and racism very seriously. Every student has the right to feel welcome, to learn, and feel free to be who they are. We support every student to feel safe, have a sense of belonging, and to call out acts of bias and racism and utilize consequences and restoration to ensure our community is a supportive one. If you are witness to or have experienced a bias or racist incident, you can report through the following link: https://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/page/bias-incident-reporting
The Belmont Public Schools Bias Incident Report Form can be accessed from the BPS DEI website. Some important notes:
Submitted forms are routed to the Director of DEIW (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Wellness) and the school's principal, who will assess the report and undertake an immediate investigation.
While the form may be completed anonymously, we encourage you to provide your contact information. This will enable the district to conduct a more thorough investigation and resolution. Anonymous reports may be essentially impossible to investigate.
More information, including definitions of "what a bias-motivated incident is" and what happens after a report is submitted, may be found on the Bias Incident Reporting page.
We encourage all members of the Belmont Public Schools community - including students, staff, parents/caregivers, volunteers, and town residents - to use this form to report any incidents of racism, bias, discrimination, harassment, or retaliation that you have experienced or witnessed, which involves a member of the Belmont Public Schools or takes place on or near school property.
Learning For Justice, an educational resource for schools defines a bias incident as conduct, speech, or expression motivated in whole or in part by bias or prejudice. To learn more or read examples of bias incidents, please see "Tips for Identifying Bias Incidents."
The district's investigation processes, including restorative and disciplinary consequences, will be tailored to each incident. While student privacy concerns will always prevent public disclosure of specific investigation details, we will publish periodic reports to keep the community informed of the number of reports made, noticeable patterns regarding the nature of the bias incidents, and conclusions of investigations when applicable.
