BETHLEHEM, PA—- At its June 11, 2020  meeting, the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts (Charter Arts) Board of Directors voted to adopt an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Resolution to continue its support and commitment to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in Charter Arts’ programs, practices, and policies.

Board President, Mario Acerra, says:  “The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts was founded on principles of equity, diversity, and inclusiveness. As an arts-focused school, we understand the importance of diversity and know that art and education flourish best in an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance. Those ideals have long been a key principle of our Strategic Plan. But at this point in our history, the Board of Directors felt it was important to renew our commitment to these values and to the creation of achievable and measurable goals that ensure the long term sustainability of this effort.”

The school plans to continue the work begun at the June 11, 2020 Board of Directors’ meeting with immediate actions including hiring a Diversity Consultant who will work with the Charter Arts administrative team to create an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Planning Team that will develop an organizational action plan through the fiscal year 2020-2021 that will create achievable and measurable goals allocating the resources needed to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion at Charter Arts.  This will ensure the development of a Diversity Plan that will offer a wide range of education and social impact programs designed to address personal and systemic barriers to participation among students and community members.

The Charter Arts Board of Directors and Administration look forward to continued collaboration with its school community in the advancement of its goals as well as supporting regional and national educational leaders in the advancement of an equitable education system that benefits all students.

 

ABOUT THE LEHIGH VALLEY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS (Charter Arts)

Charter Arts is an audition-based, public charter school that provides a comprehensive curriculum for high school students, grades 9-12, who have a passion for the arts.  Students major in one of seven artistic areas: dance, instrumental music, literary arts, production arts, theatre, visual arts, or vocal music.

Charter Arts’ rigorous curriculum fosters both academic and artistic excellence for its students. The school’s impressive Future Ready PA Index ranking, Advanced Placement (AP) exam statistics, Keystone exam statistics, SAT scores, prestigious artistic accolades, and graduation rate are a testament to the outstanding education Charter Arts provides.

Charter Arts is proud to celebrate its eighteenth year as one of the most respected high schools for the arts in the nation.  Charter Arts was one of only 349 schools in the nation to be named a 2018 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.  In 2020, the school earned the Title I Distinguished School designation for the fourth year in a row, placing it in the top 5 % of all Title I high schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Charter Arts is located at 321 East 3rd Street, Bethlehem PA 18015. For more information about Charter Arts, visit:  www.CharterArts.org or call 610-868-2971.

 

Information & Image Provided By:
Ann Gillette
Manager of Public Relations and Media
Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts
321 East 3rd Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015
www.CharterArts.org

 

 

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