Bias Incident Reduction

OUR MISSION

Having conducted the full gamut of criminal investigations throughout our careers, we have witnessed tragedy first-hand, and therefore have a strong sense of duty to continue to protect those targeted by bullying and bigotry.

As guardians, our mission is to provide a bias-free educational environment in which every student feels safe, welcomed, supported, and valued.
Studies have shown equity, inclusivity and diversity have many benefits across multiple disciplines, but especially in education. These benefits include academic, cognitive, civic, social-emotional, and economic benefits.
Our goal is to get our youth past mere “tolerance,” and more towards “embracing” our differences, because as they venture out to college or the workforce, they will inevitably meet people with characteristics and experiences that are different from their own.

OUR TRAINING/CONSULTING SERVICES

Our Bias Awareness Training program is innovative. Instead of merely providing a presentation on bias, our training is specifically designed to reveal to our audiences their own implicit biases, in a manner that highlights the fact that we all have them.
Each of our training sessions are very interactive. We use guided mental imagery followed by reflective questions that provide our audiences with the opportunity to explore how our lived experiences affect our perceptions, judgments, and decisions. We develop effective protocols to immediately address bias-related incidents when they occur.
By using a team-teaching approach, utilizing instructors from diverse backgrounds and career fields, we also share our personal and professional lived experiences and reveal our own implicit biases to our audiences, which enables us to explore how our implicit biases affect our daily interactions.
This examination, through an empathetic lens, helps minimize the “us vs. them” mentality, which is key to reducing biases. We created post-incident protocols to address the motivation behind the behavior and curtail future incidents.
We help schools create a standard Bias Incident Report Form to ensure incidents are uniformly documented and tracked, and a Bias Incident Tracking System to help monitor incidents, look for patterns when faced with an uptick, and identify repeat offenders.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to assist school districts in reducing bias incidents by introducing the Recommendations for Change outlined in the Youth Bias Task Force Report titled, “An Anti-Bias Vision for the Next Generation.”
This Interagency Task Force to Combat Youth Bias addressed the role implicit bias may play in education, and their recommendations address systemic inequities including but not limited to:
- Racial disparities in the imposition of school discipline
- The identification of academically advanced students
- The identification and placement of students with disabilities
- How diversity in school staff benefits all students.

RECOGNIZE

“Recognize” helps identify behavior motivated by bias and bigotry, while clearing up any ambiguity in whether the behavior, language, and/or communications constitutes a bias incident.

RESPOND

“Respond” provides specific steps school staff shall immediately take to stop a bias incident when it occurs, and the initial steps to help mitigate the emotional toll on students.

REPORT

“Report” ensures compliance with state guidelines regarding mandatory notification, while recognizing the unique nature

of bias incidents, which requires special handling, with an emphasis placed on victim assistance and community relations

to reduce victim trauma.

RESTORE

“Restore” utilizes a holistic approach to help promote inclusivity, trauma reduction, and emotional support while also holding offenders accountable for their behavior.

Bias Incident Reduction & Mitigation

RECOGNIZE

RESPOND

REPORT

RESTORE