In 2020, CAS-CIAC created the Student Equity Advisory Board (SEAB) to bring awareness to inequities in Connecticut and collaborate on ways to make schools more inclusive for all students. The SEAB consists of 40 students, up to four from each athletic league, and those members develop and implement ideas and action plans to bring back to their respective leagues, schools, and communities.

Eleven SEAB members representing a diverse group of students from across the state recently participated in a video project on prejudice and discrimination. In this 12-minute video, students speak openly about their experiences with racial, class, gender and religious bias. They also share strategies for combating social injustice and systemic inequalities in our schools. Click below to watch this candid and powerful video.

The entire SEAB has been meeting monthly while researching presentations it will make to statewide educators in June. The SEAB presentations will focus on the following topics:

• Acceptance and inclusion in education
• Access to quality coaching, facilities and technology in high school sports
• Addressing implicit bias faced by LGBTQ students
• Gender bias and racial disparities in Connecticut schools
• Increasing minority representation in teaching, coaching and administration

SEAB Mission Statement
The mission of the CAS-CIAC Student Equity Advisory Board is to foster diversity among students, teachers, administrators, coaches and community members by promoting inclusivity, awareness, appreciation and respect for all. The focus is to celebrate diversity by creating a welcoming and engaging environment for every student in Connecticut. We are committed to difficult conversations and to a focus on taking action through those conversations – action that leads to institutional change for groups and communities that have traditionally been disadvantaged. Ultimately, the Student Equity Advisory Board aspires to promote inclusivity in our schools, communities, state, country and world.