Guide to Inclusive Language
Building Belonging through Language
Language shapes how people experience belonging in our school community. The words we choose can communicate respect, affirm identity, reduce assumptions, and help students, families and colleagues feel seen and valued. This guide is intended to support thoughtful communication across classrooms, meetings, school events, written materials, family outreach, and everyday interactions.
This guide is designed to be a practical learning resource, not a list of prohibited words or a set of rigid rules. It is not intended to replace listening, relationship building, professional judgment or the language individuals use to describe themselves. Language and community preferences continue to evolve, so we approach this guide with curiosity, dignity, and a willingness to learn, repair and adjust.
What Diversity, Equity and Belonging Mean to Students
The Stevens guide to inclusive language was first unveiled to the community in Fall 2019. To center our students engagement with these topics, we asked them to define diversity, equity and belonging:
Sienna A. '27: "Diversity means everybody being represented. By everybody, I mean people of different nationalities, ethnicities, religions, abilities, body shapes and gender identification. Every single one of those people being shown. "
Eyram R. '27: "I define belonging not as the feeling that you are in a group, but the feeling that you ARE the group. It makes you feel you have a special connection to the school and community. Even if you go through hardships you feel like you're going through it with someone else."
Satya S. '28: "Equity means being fair. It’s not always about giving everyone the same thing, but giving each person what they need to be successful. Like if someone is short, they get a stool so they can see too."
