Belonging at Chance

At Virginia Chance School, we value diversity and work intentionally to create a community where every person is welcomed, respected, and able to experience a genuine sense of belonging. We celebrate the experiences, identities, perspectives, and cultural traditions within our community, while teaching children to recognize and challenge stereotypes and bias and to engage across differences with empathy and respect.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice is woven throughout the Chance experience, from curriculum and classroom relationships to community life and school practices. We welcome families from a wide range of backgrounds and intentionally help children develop the empathy, awareness, and confidence to become thoughtful citizens of an interconnected world.

Learn about our support of anti-ism's and anti-phobias

A Quick Guide to the -isms and -phobias

-Isms and -Phobias are discriminatory (and often hostile) beliefs and behaviors based in stereotypes, fear and ignorance. These are some of the most common ones.

Racism – prejudice, discrimination or antagonism by an individual, community or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.

Individual racism refers to the beliefs, attitudes and actions of individuals that support or perpetuate racism in conscious and unconscious ways. The U.S. cultural narrative about racism typically focuses on individual racism and fails to recognize systemic or institutional racism.
Interpersonal racism occurs between individuals. These are public expressions of racism, often involving slurs, biases or hateful words or actions.
Institutional racism occurs in an organization. These are discriminatory treatments, unfair policies or biased practices based on race that result in inequitable outcomes for whites over people of color and extend considerably beyond prejudice. These institutional policies often never mention any racial group, but the intent is to create advantages.
Structural racism is the overarching system of racial bias across institutions and society. These systems give privileges to white people resulting in disadvantages to people of color.

Colorism – Within-group and between-group discrimination against people of color with darker skin tones and giving preference to people of color with lighter skin tones.

Tokenism – The practice of using people of color in a symbolic gesture to avoid criticism or being called racist.

Anti-Semitism – Discrimination against a Jewish people or people perceived to be Jewish because of their affiliation to Judaism.

Sexism – prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.

Ableism – Discrimination against people with impaired or limited abilities because of their physical abilities.

Ageism – Discrimination against older populations because of their age and perceived competence or capabilities.

Classism – Discrimination against people of lower class because of their economic status.

Elitism – Discrimination against people believed to be “less than” in terms of education, money, job status/position, etc.

Heterosexism/Homophobia – Discrimination against non-heterosexual people because of their sexuality.

Transphobia – Discrimination against transpeople or gender non-conforming people because of their gender identity.

Xenophobia – Discrimination against people from other countries or anyone deemed “foreign” because of their immigrant or visitor status.

Islamophobia - Discrimination against anyone practicing or perceived to be a practitioner of Islam because of their religious affiliation.

Atheophobia – Discrimination against anyone who identifies as Atheist or is perceived to be Atheist because of their lack of religious affiliation.

Fatphobia – Discrimination against people with bigger bodies because of their size.

Site resource: https://engineering.osu.edu/quick-guide-isms-and-phobias

Helpful Anti-Racism Resources from the Faculty, Staff, and Administration of Virginia Chance School

As a school, we are dedicated to providing a culture of mutual respect. We invite each other to understand and value multiple perspectives, identify and reject stereotypes and biases, and work for equity and peace within the school and beyond. We all have a role to play, as educators, parents, and community members. Here are some resources that were sent out to faculty and staff that we've found helpful:

Anti-Racism Resources

OUR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, BELONGING & JUSTICE STATEMENT

Virginia Chance School is intentionally inclusive, welcoming all members of our community and affirming the wide spectrum of cultural traditions, backgrounds, and life experiences represented among our students, faculty, staff, and families.

We embrace and celebrate each person’s individuality. We invite each other to understand and value multiple perspectives, to identify and reject stereotypes and biases, and to work for equity and peace within the school and beyond.

The diversity we affirm includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, family structure, socioeconomic status, disability, and the many backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives individuals bring to our community.

We uphold this commitment by being welcoming to all our families; by enriching our student body, faculty, staff, and board with members from varied backgrounds; and by learning with our students how to become compassionate citizens of our world. Through these efforts to engage across differences, we connect in our shared humanity and prepare our students for a lifetime of meaningful, peaceful relationships at home and in the world.

Nondiscrimination Statement

Virginia Chance School is committed to providing an inclusive and equitable school community for its students, families, employees, and applicants. Virginia Chance School does not discriminate in student admissions, educational programs and activities, or employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Employment decisions are made without regard to age, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.