SAFE: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SCHOOLS

Making Schools Safe for Gay & Lesbian Youth

The Education Report of The Massachusetts Governor's
Commission on Gay & Lesbian Youth

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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SCHOOLS

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SCHOOLS

The Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth recommends that school systems create programs and policies to ensure that gay and lesbian students are safe in Massachusetts schools and that they are able to realize fully their potential to learn.

We recommend that Governor Weld, the Department of Education and the Executive Office of Education support our recommendations for schools and devise a plan for implementing them in schools throughout Massachusetts.

Our five key recommendations for schools are:

1. SCHOOL POLICIES PROTECTING GAY AND LESBIAN STUDENTS FROM HARASSMENT, VIOLENCE, AND DISCRIMINATION

School systems should make public commitments to ensure that schools are safe places, free of discrimination, violence, and harassment, for all students, including gay and lesbian youth.

2. TRAINING TEACHERS/ COUNSELORS/ SCHOOL STAFF IN CRISIS INTERVENTION AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION

Teachers, guidance counselors, and all school staff should be equipped with the training necessary to respond to the needs of gay and lesbian students, including protecting them from harassment and violence, and intervening to prevent suicide and dropping out.

The Higher Education Coordinating Council should facilitate changes in teacher-training standards so that all certified teachers and educators will receive training in issues relevant to the needs and problems faced by gay and lesbian youth. Such training should be a requirement for teacher certification and school accreditation.

3. SCHOOL-BASED SUPPORT GROUPS FOR GAY AND LESBIAN STUDENTS

Gay and lesbian students experience intense isolation, putting them at great risk for suicide. Every high school in the Commonwealth should establish a support group where gay and straight students can meet each week and discuss gay and lesbian youth issues. These gay/straight student alliances should have a faculty advisor.

In addition, existing school counselling services should expand their knowledge and resources to meet the needs of gay and lesbian students.

4. INFORMATION IN SCHOOL LIBRARIES FOR GAY AND LESBIAN ADOLESCENTS

School libraries are an important resource for students seeking to learn more on any issue. All school libraries should develop a collection of literature, books, films, and pamphlets for students seeking to learn more on gay and lesbian issues. In particular, a collection of gay and lesbian youth resource information should be developed. The school should widely publicize the existence of this literature through displays, posters, etc.

5. CURRICULUM WHICH INCLUDES GAY AND LESBIAN ISSUES

Learning about gay and lesbian people, including their experiences and contributions to society, should be integrated into all subject areas. School systems should urge teachers to continue their education in order to integrate gay and lesbian themes and issues into their subject areas.

EACH OF THE ABOVE RECOMMENDATIONS IS EXPLAINED MORE FULLY IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES.

RECOMMENDATION ONE: SCHOOL POLICIES WHICH PROTECT
GAY AND LESBIAN STUDENTS

Written, formal school policies help prevent discrimination, harassment, and verbal abuse of gay and lesbian students and young people perceived to be lesbian or gay. By making schools safe for gay and lesbian youth, we can prevent drop-out that results from students feeling threatened at school. We can also improve the ability of young people to learn.

We recommend that the following policies be formally adopted by schools, and publicized in areas such as student, faculty, and PTA handbooks:

1. ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICIES
Schools should include sexual orientation as a protected category in nondiscrimination policies for students and teachers, including teacher contracts.

2. POLICIES WHICH GUARANTEE EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Schools should establish policies which ensure the rights of gay and lesbian students to education and guarantee equal access to all school courses and school activities.

3. ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICIES AND GUIDELINES

Schools should adopt and publicize policies which prohibit anti-gay language and harassment on the part of faculty and students.
Clear procedures should be established to deal with incidents of anti-gay harassment and violence, including penalties for such behavior.
Clear guidelines should be established for dealing with anti-gay epithets and speech.

4. MULTICULTURAL AND DlVERSlTY POLICIES Schools should include gay and lesbian issues within appropriate policies and programs concerning diversity or multiculturalism.

RECOMMENDATION TWO: TRAINING TEACHERS AND
COUNSELORS IN SUICIDE PREVENTION AND VIOLENCE
PREVENTION

School professionals must be equipped with the knowledge necessary for meeting the needs of gay and lesbian students in a sensitive and caring manner. Teachers and school counselors must be trained in how to create a safe and inclusive school environment for gay and lesbian students so that suicides, drop-outs, and incidents of harassment and violence can be prevented.

The teacher/counselor training would have a dual focus. The short-term focus would be to provide teachers and counselors with the necessary skills to intervene effectively with gay and lesbian youth who are in crisis. The long-term focus would seek to equip educators with the skills to create a lasting safe and supportive environment in school for gay and lesbian students, so that the need for future crisis intervention would be reduced or eliminated.

We recommend that teachers, counselors, and school staff in Massachusetts public schools be trained in the following:

1. VIOLENCE PREVENTION
We recommend that educators be trained in how to intervene when students who are gay or lesbian, or perceived to be gay or lesbian, are harassed or threatened by other students.

2. CRISIS INTERVENTION
We recommend that educators be trained and learn how to respond to a gay or lesbian student who seeks help because of isolation, or emotional and physical problems.

3. COUNSELLING REFERRALS
We recommend that educators learn how to make appropriate referrals for gay and lesbian students to counselors, including family counselors, and youth-service agencies.

4. WORKSHOPS FOR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL STAFF
We recommend that all school systems sponsor workshops for teachers and school staff members to learn how to meet the needs of gay and lesbian students. Included in this education process should be a commitment to addressing and eliminating discriminatory attitudes directed against gay and lesbian people in general.

Goals of a workshop for teachers/staff include:
1. Discussing the special needs of gay and lesbian students
2. Learning about health problems of gay and lesbian youth, such as their high risk for suicide
3. Providing participants with resource materials for responding to the needs of gay lesbian students
4. Learning to relate anti-gay discrimination to other forms of prejudice
5. Discussing participants' existing attitudes towards gay and lesbian people
6 Creating a safe environment for gay and lesbian staff members to be open about their sexual orientation.

5. CHANGES IN TEACHER CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND SCHOOL ACCREDITATION
We recommend that the Higher Education Coordinating Council facilitate and enforce specific changes in teacher-training programs and certification standards. We recommend that to become certified, teachers, counselors and educators be required to receive training in issues relevant to the needs of gay and lesbian students. Similarly, schools should be required to schedule in-service diversity trainings in order to receive accreditation from the appropriate professional associations.

RECOMMENDATION THREE: SCHOOL-BASED SUPPORT GROUPS
FOR GAY AND STRAIGHT STUDENTS

Students are best supported by other students. Isolation and loneliness on the part of gay and lesbian students can lead to suicide attempts, run-away, drop-out, and a host of emotional and physical problems. Weekly support groups for gay and lesbian students, and any other students who want to talk about gay and lesbian issues, help to counter isolation and to give an ongoing voice to young people who need to be able to talk about their feelings, and about their identity.

Gay/straight alliances, and groups such as PROJECT 10, are effective in-school support groups. We recommend that these kinds of groups be established and supported by the administration in every high school in the Commonwealth.

We also recommend the following:

1. GROUPS OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS Support groups should be open to all students, including self-identified gay and lesbian youth, heterosexual students supportive of their gay and lesbian peers, and any student wishing to discuss lesbian/gay issues in a safe and confidential environment.

2. FACULTY ADVISOR
A faculty advisor should be appointed to attend each meeting, listen to students and communicate their needs to the administration. School personnel with personal experience, such as self-identified gay and lesbian teachers, heterosexual teachers with gay/ lesbian friends or family, or the like, should be sought out for this role. The faculty advisor should undergo extensive, in-depth professional training on the needs of gay and lesbian youth. Appropriate compensation should be offered for this role.

3. WIDE PUBLICITY OF GROUP'S EXISTENCE The existence of a gay/straight alliance in a school should be widely publicized within the school so that all students know of the group's existence and purpose. Publicity should take the form of pamphlets, information in student and faculty handbooks, posters and flyers, announcements by teachers, etc..

4. STUDENT THROUGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS In addition to student support and discussion groups, we recommend that school counselors be trained to provide support and information for gay and lesbian youth in the school setting.

We have three specific recommendations for school counselors:

1. All school counselors, nurses, and social workers should receive training concerning gay and lesbian youth issues from professionals in their field.
2. The availability of counselling services for gay and lesbian students should be made known through publicity in the school such as posters, student handbooks, and announcements, so that a welcoming environment is Created in the counseling setting.
3. Appropriate and timely-referrals should be made for young people whose needs cannot be met within the school's counselling resources.

RECOMMENDATION FOUR: INFORMATION IN SCHOOL
LIBRARIES FOR GAY AND LESBIAN ADOLESCENTS

Young people need to have access to resources and information about gay and lesbian youth issues in school libraries. Information should include books, videos, pamphlets and other materials for use by students, parents, and teachers. Information should be available which provides for referrals to appropriate counselling and youth-service agencies which are trained in dealing with the needs of gay and lesbian adolescents.

We recommend the following:

1. School libraries should have a special, easily recognizable section of books and materials related to gay and lesbian issues.
2. Confidential sign-out procedures should be implemented so that students may use these resources without feeling a need to make a public statement.
3. School libraries should purchase films concerning gay and lesbian people in general, and gay and lesbian youth in particular, which are appropriate for viewing by the entire student body and by faculty.
4. School libraries should periodically display books and materials about gay and lesbian issues in a highly visible way.
5. School librarians should develop a reading list of books in the library on gay and lesbian issues which they can provide to teachers for inclusion in class reading lists.
6. Libraries should display a well-researched guide to resources for gay and lesbian youth, including community-based lesbian and gay youth groups such as BAGLY (the Boston Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth) and P-FLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).

RECOMMENDATION FIVE: CURRICULUM WHICH INCLUDES GAY
AND LESBIAN ISSUES

The classroom is the heart of the school experience. Discussion of gay and lesbian issues, and recognition of the contribution of gay people to history and to modern society, should be integrated into all subject areas and departments in an age-appropriate fashion.

We recommend the following

1. Inclusive human development education, which addresses issues of sexual
orientation should be available to all students
2. Students should be introduced to lesbian and gay culture in a variety of contexts, such as literature, history, the arts, and family life.
3. Biases in existing curriculum, such as the exclusive use of opposite-sex couples in math or foreign language exercizes, should be redressed
4. Diversity programs, which address a variety of prejudices such as those against gay and lesbian people, women, and people of color, should be instituted and available to all students.
5. Academic departments should research ways to include the experiences and contributions of gay and lesbian people as they pertain to their discipline. Each department should set goals and timetables by which to achieve these curriculum changes, with regular assessment of departmental progress by relevant administrators.
6. School systems should encourage and support teachers attending conferences and furthering their education about gay and lesbian issues relevant to their subject area.

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Last Updated: 27 August, 1998
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