It is a logical outgrowth of the Wylie Way. Unfortunately, the D & I term has been utilized for a wide variety of programs with different agendas and philosophies. Here is where you can find a recent overview of our unique program. Understanding and appreciating other cultures and working as a team in a diverse world are building blocks for our students’ success as they enter college and the workforce.

Our training efforts will be directed toward our teachers and staff. This is not a student training program.

Our school counselors all have Masters Degrees and certifications in School Counseling. They attend yearly professional development in, but not limited to, grief and trauma-informed care, mental health, suicide awareness, ethical responsibilities, and social-emotional learning.

The primary responsibility of a school counselor is to counsel students to fully develop each student's academic, career, personal, and social abilities. Each counselor is required by the state of Texas to implement the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs.

The school counselor must design the program to include:

• a guidance curriculum to help students develop their full educational potential, including the student's interests and career objectives;
• a responsive services component to intervene on behalf of any student whose immediate personal concerns or problems put the student's continued educational, career, personal, or social development at risk;
• an individual planning system to guide a student as the student plans, monitors, and manages the student's own educational, career, personal, and social development; and
• system support to support the efforts of teachers, staff, parents, and other members of the community in promoting the educational, career, personal, and social development of students.  

In addition to a school counselor's responsibility listed above, the school counselor will also:

• participate in planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive developmental guidance program to serve all students and to address the special needs of students:
• who are at risk of dropping out of school, becoming substance abusers, participating in gang activity, or committing suicide;
• who are in need of modified instructional strategies; or
• who are gifted and talented, with emphasis on identifying and serving gifted and talented students who are educationally disadvantaged;
• consult with a student's parent or guardian and make referrals as appropriate in consultation with the student's parent or guardian;
• consult with school staff, parents and other community members to help them increase the effectiveness of student education and promote student success;
• coordinate people and resources in the school, home, and community;
• with the assistance of school staff, interpret standardized test results and other assessment data that help a student make educational and career plans;
• deliver classroom guidance activities or serve as a consultant to teachers conducting lessons based on the school's guidance curriculum; and
• serve as an impartial, nonreporting resource for interpersonal conflicts and discord involving two or more students, including accusations of bullying

And in addition to the responsibilities listed above, school counselors also meet with students to ensure they are on track for graduation and post-secondary readiness. 

While this may seem like a comprehensive list of duties, it does not cover how the school counselors and their teams implement these on the campus. To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of school counselors, visit TEA School Counseling and Guidance. School counselors are adept at using any resource available to them to help meet the individual needs of students. We are grateful to have a D&I Liaison on each campus as a resource for students and staff with questions and concerns surrounding diversity and inclusion.

Curriculum refers to an interactive system of instruction and learning with specific goals, contents, strategies, measurement, and resources. Curriculum is the basis for lesson plans developed by our staff. The Diversity & Inclusion program does not use a curriculum--neither purchased or created. Diversity & Inclusion is an extension of the Wylie Way, which is built on the foundation of helping students explore their individual strengths and interests and developing students’ social and emotional savviness. This foundation paired with positive relationships increases their hope, well-being, and achievement.

Our goal is to develop relationships and provide facts to support understanding and unity between our diverse populations. No individual philosophy is the basis for the program. Treating others the way you want to be treated.

The vision of the D&I Program is to create an environment where diversity is leveraged as a strength and where ALL of our educators, students, and families have a true sense of belonging, where they feel valued for the uniqueness that they bring, and where they feel safe to do their best work.

We hope to achieve this vision through these 5 goals:

1. Create an inclusive climate and culture.
2. Recruit, attract, and retain highly qualified potential teachers to diversify our applicant pool, and retain a diverse faculty and staff that reflects the demographics of our students.
3. Provide diversity, inclusion, and equity professional learning opportunities for faculty and staff.
4. Embrace character education and student discipline practices - the Wylie Way. 
5. Recognize and celebrate students and staff and the diversity of cultures, races, and ethnicities of our school community.

One of the goals of the D&I Program is to create an inclusive climate and culture. To do so, we will create spaces for parents to be involved. We are excited to announce that we are looking to build our Wylie ISD Diversity and Inclusion Stakeholder Group that includes parents and Wylie ISD employees for the 2021-22 school year. Members will be appointed by the campus and should reflect the demographics of our school district with equal campus representation that encompasses different points of view. If you would like to represent your campus or know someone who would be a great candidate, please complete our short application.

We currently use Panorama Surveys to collect data on SEL, Diversity and Inclusion, Cultural Awareness and Action, and Sense of Belonging.

• Fall 2020 Survey Data can be found here. 

2021-22 Stakeholder Meeting agendas, minutes, and presentations will be posted on the D & I page following each meeting.

You can contact Reggie Bibb at Reggie.Bibb@wylieisd.net if you have any questions