Our Community
Freedom of Expression
Freedom of Expression - Statement
What we teach and why
Schools have a unique responsibility to serve as places of inquiry, deep curiosity, and ever-emerging understanding. The Bush School lays the groundwork for teaching strong reasoning and for civic participation when students have the freedom to express their considered ideas in safe and productive ways. To this end, it is our obligation to:
- Allow topics to be studied in developmentally appropriate ways.
- Insist that teachers facilitate the study and discussion of potentially divisive topics such that the topic’s complexity is understood without teachers expressing their own personal views.
- Provide students with the safety to arrive at their own insights and conclusions.
Bush provides a forum where diverse points of view can be discussed, evaluated, challenged, more fully understood, and, as appropriate, acted upon. This practice enables students to graduate with the knowledge and ability to arrive at thoughtful beliefs, developed through civil discourse so that they become trusted stewards of democracy.
Freedom of Expression & Civil Discourse
The Bush School teaches students how to think and not what to think. Our mission, values, and academic program produces trailblazers, critical thinkers, creative problem solvers, and ethical citizens. To develop these abilities and to be truly inclusive and respectful, teachers and students must invite and analyze various debatable ideas and points of view. Critical reasoning remains a core competency for college and life, but just as importantly, the ability to understand, evaluate, and act on ideas responsibly prepares students for healthy democratic participation for life.
While a culture of inclusion protects freedom of expression, such protection does not render all knowledge and opinion equally “true.” For students to construct the most complete understanding of a disputable issue or concept, they must build such knowledge for themselves. This requires the hard work of analysis, perspective-taking, debate, reflection, and application. Through these methods, we work towards sound, evidence-based positions and conclusions. Members of our community may find certain ideas that emerge untenable — even offensive —when wrestling with sensitive topics; in such moments of friction, however, we help our students learn to resolve conflict, to reason well, and to communicate their own positions.
The School believes deeply in the value of freedom of expression and civil discourse and is willing to risk unrehearsed moments when language has the potential to offend. In fact, as a school, Bush anticipates such unintended instances, for they provide opportunities for teaching about how we may better engage in productive, respectful civil discourse and debate — even when we may continue to disagree about ideas. Language that willfully jeopardizes, dehumanizes, or threatens the safety of a person or group, however, is not aligned with our values.
Guiding Principles for Navigating Our Complex Society
In today's increasingly interconnected world, we are frequently confronted with local and global issues that challenge our values and ideals. Furthermore, we acknowledge that Bush’s many constituents — administrators, faculty, staff, students, parents, grandparents, and alumni — have diverse and deeply held personal beliefs and are affected differently by world events.
At Bush, it is rare that we will send community wide communication on complex societal issues and events that do not directly impact our school’s operation. While there is often pressure for educational leaders to take stances, trust that our focus is always on carrying out our mission, vision, and values. We stand firm that there is no room in our world for hate, prejudice, or bigotry, and we unequivocally condemn such sentiments at school and in society.
The teachers in our community are educators, not experts on complicated political and cultural issues. Communicating an institutional position jeopardizes our ability to foster a community where speech is protected and everyone feels a true sense of belonging.
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Our approach to moments of tension and crisis will be grounded in the following principles:
- Prioritizing the Safety and Well-being of Students, Faculty, and Staff: We will prioritize offering the support necessary for students, faculty, and staff who may be struggling. This includes but is not limited to providing resources, gatherings, check-ins, and educational programs. It is important to recognize that faculty are often supporting their students while navigating complex situations and processing information in real time.
- Focusing on Freedom of Expression and Civil Discourse: We will encourage community members to engage with difficult topics while they deepen their capacity as curious, civil, and intellectual human beings. This position protects and nurtures our commitment to freedom of expression and civil discourse, focusing on teaching our students how to think and not what to think. To be clear, freedom of expression does not permit engaging in hateful acts or speech.
Above all, our calling is to prepare students to engage with a rapidly changing world. By focusing on their well-being and our commitment to freedom of expression and civil discourse, we help nurture open minds that are practiced in cultivating community and ready to listen and lead in a pluralistic society (OR any environment).
*We recognize McDonough School for their work in creating this language and framework and thank them for their willingness to share it with The Bush School so that we can provide guidelines for passionate, reasoned debate, and an intellectually stimulating environment for our students.
Mission
To spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities
Values
Invite Perspectives, Blaze Trails, Nurture an Open Mind, Cultivate Community
Vision
The Bush School is committed to preparing students to lead purposeful lives, setting them on a path to change the world. Founded on the principles of progressive education, our experiential program inspires students to drive inquiry, actively engaging their teachers, curricula, and environment.
Educational Foundations
- Critical, independent, and creative thinking
- Ethical judgment and action
- Intercultural fluency
- Local and global citizenship
The Bush School is an independent, coeducational day school located in Seattle, WA enrolling 735 students in grades K–12. The mission of The Bush School is to spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities.
3400 East Harrison Street, Seattle WA 98112 (206) 322-7978
The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment, recruitment, admissions, or administration of any of its programs on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. In addition, The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment on the basis of age or marital status.