Gun Safety
The horror of school shootings needs to stop.
As educators and as citizens, we are proud Republicans, Democrats, and Independents who believe that our country need not choose between the rightful protection of responsible gun ownership and the necessary prevention of gun violence. We believe that the epidemic of gun violence in schools is an issue of non-partisan urgency that demands a higher duty of care.
We implore our regional and national leaders to take the necessary steps to protect our students, teachers, and staff, and with profound resolve, to address the many factors that contribute to safe and secure educational communities, including responsible safeguards related to guns.
We are moved to speak up and take action on behalf of all of this nation's children, whose welfare and safety it is our common duty to ensure.
Antiracism
The California Association of Independent Schools is committed to identifying and removing systemic racism within the Association, and to guiding the same work within member schools. The work of becoming antiracist makes our schools and students stronger. It prepares students for success and leadership in a diverse world, while helping our schools to be nurturing, inclusive communities.
CAIS envisions:
- School communities in which every student, teacher, and staff member feels they have an equal opportunity to learn, thrive, and belong.
- An association of schools where everyone, regardless of background, feels their life experiences are respected and valued.
- Future leaders—including alumni of color—who will reflect on their experience within CAIS schools with the conviction that they were consistently treated with dignity and respect by their school community.
- Schools in which no student, teacher, or staff member is exposed to experiences that we know are harmful.
The following documents represent the early stages of our ongoing work in Antiracism, supporting our commitment to Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging.
Climate Change
As educators, it is our responsibility to help our students understand climate change, and to give them tangible ways to take action addressing one of the greatest challenges of our time.
Each school can model sustainability by reducing its overall greenhouse gas footprint, developing healthy operations, and creating an ecological curriculum
Use the resources below to explore opportunities to take action:
- The California Green Ribbon Schools program offers schools the means to measure their progress in each of these areas, and to be recognized for their progress.
- The Green Schools National Network is an excellent resource for healthy, equitable, and sustainable private and public schools.
- The Green Schools Alliance offers a toolkit for whole school sustainability.
- The California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI) provides guidance on how to implement the California Blueprint for Environmental Literacy.
- Founded in California, ACE: Action for the Climate Emergency is a national network supporting students in understanding the science behind climate change, and working for solutions.
- Our friends at Inverness Associates have offered pro bono consultations for CAIS member schools interested in the path to school sustainability.