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DIVERSITY, EQUITY and INCLUSION 

Statement

The Faculty, Administration, and Board of Potomac Crescent Waldorf School espouse principles of respect for human rights and the diversity of humankind. We believe the pursuit of inclusivity and equity is a journey of both moral and educational importance. Our school strives to align with these core principles and to ensure that our curriculum and community reflect them.

 

We acknowledge the history and ongoing impact of social and institutional inequities, including but not limited to discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, on our continent and in our institutions. We are committed to making equity and inclusion central to our mission and our practices; when we do this, we come closer to creating the world we want for our children.

 

We support the following principles from the Stuttgart Declaration, which was adopted by the General Assembly of the German Association of Waldorf Schools in Stuttgart on October 28, 2007:

 

  • Racist or discriminatory tendencies are not tolerated in Waldorf schools or Waldorf teacher training institutes.

 

  • Waldorf schools pursue their pedagogical tasks out of the spirit of human rights, thereby contributing to building a society founded upon mutual respect, tolerance and cooperation between all human beings.

 

  • Waldorf schools do not select, stratify or discriminate amongst their pupils, but consider all human beings to be free and equal in dignity and rights, independent of ethnicity, national or social origin, gender, language, religion, and political or other convictions.

 

  • Anthroposophy, upon which Waldorf Education is founded, stands firmly against all forms of racism and nationalism. Waldorf schools recognize that the richness inherent in a school community is built upon the synergy between both curriculum and students studying that curriculum. To this end, Waldorf schools not only aim to build school communities that are reflective of the larger community in which we are located, but also intentionally promote the synergistic interaction between the elements of the community.

 

We recognize there exist anthroposophical writings and lectures, including some by Rudolf Steiner, that may reflect discriminatory ideas. We explicitly reject racist, sexist, or other discriminatory ideologies as inconsistent with the fundamental principles of Waldorf education.

 

Our Faculty, Administration, and Board are committed to combating social and institutional inequities, and to shining light on and changing any ways in which we may be perpetuating these inequities. We will continually work to align our policies and practices to promote equity and inclusion on all levels by bringing awareness to and recognizing the importance of voices that often go unheard.

 

Our thanks to the German Association of Waldorf Schools and the Independent High School of Willamette Valley for some of the language used in this statement, and for their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in Waldorf schools.

 

If you would like further information about PCWS' commitment to upholding the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion in our educational programs and hiring processes, contact our Equal Opportunity Coordinator at eoc@potomacwaldorf.org​  

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