I was asked by a member of PFLAG how I, as a board member, would assure that all marginalized kids are considered and remembered throughout their school day and career. Below is my response:
We know that LGBTQ students face threats and bullying at a much higher rate than their straight or cisgender peers so while it’s heartbreaking to hear that they often do not feel safe in our schools - despite the advances that have been made - it is not surprising. I know that what has been done so far is not enough and that there is more work to do.
One of the League of Women Voters’ questions was around how to promote a safe and respectful environment for all students. When I wrote that answer, I absolutely had our LGBTQ+ students (among others) in mind. I wrote that our schools should establish, communicate, and enforce clear and fair behavior expectations to prevent all forms of bullying. Discipline policies should be thoughtful and include restorative justice principles as much as possible. Professional development should be ongoing, not just one and done, and it should include all school staff - teachers, substitutes, bus drivers, coaches, and paraprofessionals.
In addition, we should foster strong teacher-student relationships so that students feel comfortable confiding in an adult. And, while I certainly want our LGBTQ+ students to feel comfortable coming to an adult, I also want to ensure that cisgender students feel the responsibility to be allies and also feel comfortable bringing problems to an adult. We must also strengthen public communication to include and engage parents and families in these efforts.
I honestly have always worried a bit about the impact of having a school resource officer as studies have shown that marginalized students, including LGBTQ students, are often disproportionately punished in schools. I would like to see the data on discipline in our schools and ensure that we have effective oversight in place to ensure that we aren’t following that trend.
Finally, continuing to provide and improve mental health supports is important particularly given the increased risk of suicide in our LGBTQ students.
The I Am Jazz community discussion taught me a lot and I was grateful to the teachers who spoke in support of reading the book. First, they taught me the concept of “mirrors and windows” in education which I found to be really insightful and an idea that’s resonated with me ever since - the idea that students need to see themselves reflected in the classroom materials they interact with every day and they need to see others in their community and understand and appreciate them as they are. Second, they taught me that respect for diversity, justice, equality and safety don’t just happen because good people want them to. They happen because of the intentional actions of people in positions of authority - teachers, community leaders. Things like expanding book choices, recruiting more diverse teachers, rigorous and fair enforcement of behavior standards, etc. I want to be on the kind of board that encourages, expects, and promotes these intentional acts.