Five teams working independently throughout the 2024-25 school year came together to define and make actionable what equity is for Riverside-Brookfield High School 208.
The teams, working within the five key areas, or strands, of the district’s Equity Action Plan (EAP), created the district’s definition of equity that was adopted by the Board of Education in December:
“Equity is having high expectations for every student learner and providing the supports and resources so each learner can develop to their full academic and social potential.”
This definition was formulated by Strand #1, titled Systems, based on a survey conducted with students, staff and parents. Strand #1 members were Superintendent Dr. Kevin Skinkis, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kristin Smetana, counselor Mike Reingruber and teachers Juan Tinoco and John Izaguirre,
Skinkis said the definition itself is necessary to the full EAP, a linchpin of sorts, because “you want to have consistent language across all the strands, so everyone has the same target when developing their interventions and initiatives.”
Configuring the final definition wasn’t easy.
“The longest part was identifying three definitions of equity to survey the stakeholders,” Skinkis said. “This took our strand team a few months. There are a lot of different meanings and interpretations of equity. Once we had the survey data, incorporating the feedback into the final recommendation for the board of education went rather quickly.”
A unique aspect of the teams was Strand #3, Student Voice, Climate & Culture, consisting of 15 student volunteers, called the Student Equity Leadership Team (SELT). According to principal Hector Freytas, “SELT was able to develop a culture and climate survey that relates to their engagement on campus, with the goal of gathering information to enhance their overall student experience at RB.”
He added that SELT helped organize the school’s second-ever Multicultural Night and organized a spirit wear giveaway at Future Bulldog Night 2025.
Assistant principal for student affairs Dave Mannon headed up the SELT group, which represented all four classes. Students collaborated with SELT strand leaders three times during the fall semester to distribute the survey, and in the spring semester, the group reconvened to review the survey results and develop a strategic response based on student feedback.
“The culture and climate survey was designed to assess the needs of the student body, with a particular focus on areas such as communication, social and emotional support, access to trusted adults, understanding of handbook procedures, clarity of classroom expectations and the overall condition of physical spaces on campus,” Mannon said, adding the survey was sent to all students in attendance on the first day back from winter break.
Strand #2, Teaching and Learning, expanded the district’s Multitiered Systems of Support, or MTSS. The MTSS leadership team uses student data to add interventions at the sophomore and junior levels, Freytas said.
“For the 2025-26 school year, sophomores and juniors needing additional intervention beyond the classroom to reach benchmarks in core academic areas, like reading and math, will be placed in an intervention center period where a certified teacher will support their growth toward benchmarks,” Freytas said.
Strand #4, Professional Learning, consisted of equity training for non-tenured staff regarding best practices to support students, as outlined in Strand #2.
Kiley Fletcher, the district community engagement coordinator, worked with Freytas to implement the major component of Strand #5, Family & Community as Agency – several Parent Universities: Family Welcome Back Night; Early College Credit, Curricular Offerings, Course Selection; Social Media Safety; Mental Health Community Resources; and Trades Information Night.
Fletcher said the Parent Universities provided not only useful information for families, but also a face-to-face component.
“Parents were sharing advice on what worked well, and I think that fostered community,” she said. “For me, I got to meet more people and have more relationships with community members. Next year, we want to fine tune it some more.”
The 2025-26 Equity Action Plan is under development, Freytas said, but he is buoyed by this school year’s success.
“We met many of our goals, such as supporting the transition to the ACT by helping all students grow and/or meet expectations,” he said, “strengthening our MTSS academic structure, hosting five Parent Universities and gathering information from our student body through the SELT.”
