Who is the Equity Advisory Council, and why do they want to lower APS student standards of conduct?

Ever since 1994, APS students have been expected to "model and promote" the Pillars of Character Counts!. The Pillars represent a nationally recognized, accepted and respected code of ethical conduct.

For as long as they have been the student standards of conduct, they have been the standards of conduct for their adult role models as well.  That's how role modeling works.

School board members and superintendents are the senior most administrative role models of the standards of conduct they establish and enforce upon students. That's what "role modeling" means.

Ten years ago, after about a decade of relentless pressure hold themselves actually and honestly accountable as role models accountability to the Pillars of Character Counts!, they abdicated. By unanimous vote, the board struck their role modeling clause from APS School Board Policy. It had read;

In no case shall the standards of conduct for an adult
be lower than the standards of conduct for students.

That reprehensible act created double standards of conduct in APS; one for students and one for board members and superintendents.

• Students are expected to hold themselves honestly accountable to the Pillars of Character Counts!; higher standards of conduct than the law; or else forfeit their good character.

• School board members and superintendents are expected to hold themselves accountable only to the law; the lowest standards of conduct acceptable among civilized human beings.*

*In fact, they are not even accountable to the law. They routinely spend fortunes in operational dollars settlements including "admissions of no guilt"; even for those among them who are guilty beyond any reasonable doubt.

The board is about to eliminate the shameful double standard. But not my raising their own. They will not show students what it looks like to hold oneself honestly accountable to meaningful standards of conduct.

Instead, they intend to lower student standards of conduct. The mention of Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness and Citizenship will stripped from the student behavior handbook.

No longer will students be expected to model good character;
only that they will be "good members of the community".

The board hasn't the courage to publicly rescind the unanimous resolution to adopt higher standards of conduct for students. They haven't the character and the courage to admit that they haven't the character and the courage to hold themselves honestly accountable as role models honest to God accountability to the Pillars of Character Counts!

Or for that matter, will that be held accountable to any standards of conduct that require candid, forthright and honest answers to questions about the public interests and about their public service.

There will be no public comment allowed tomorrow in the District Equity and Engagement Committee Meeting when the board follows the recommendation of the "Equity Advisory Council" the membership list of which is not posted on APS' award winning website, and I cannot find.

Public comment will be "limited" the following day at the public forum during the regular board meeting where the board will administer the coup de grace to any district wide effort to teach students

• not only that there are higher standards of conduct, but that 
• it is in their (and our) best interests that they establish some allegiance to them.