Safe Schools brief description here.
Summer has come and gone, and now school is back in session. For some LGBTQ young people, this time of year is filled with dread and anxiety as they wonder if their teachers and friends will accept them.
School’s out for the summer — and we’re joining students, teachers, and administrators in celebrating the end of another school year!
Reflecting on this whirlwind of a year... I have to say, I am incredibly proud of what our Safe & Healthy Schools program has accomplished. It’s because of the dedication of Equality Florida Supporters to create a better world for LGBTQ youth that has allowed us to make such significant strides forward!
The Equality Florida “Safe Schools Equality Index” serves as a comprehensive guide outlining nationally recognized LGBTQ policies and best practices. It will serve as a roadmap for all of Florida’s districts that are eager to improve programs, and will help to create urgency for districts that may be unaware of the needs of our LGBTQ students and the staggering at risk mental health and substance abuse challenges faced by students in our schools.
JJ Safe Schools Act
Under the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act, school districts must create and adopt a policy that clearly states that harassment and bullying are prohibited. Fla. Stat. § 1006.147 (2008) ("the Johnston Act"). The policy must set forth procedures for its publication; it must include provisions for making behavior standards clear to students, teachers, and school administrators, and it must establish a mechanism to report and investigate incidents of harassment and bullying.
In the wake of the mass shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016, we made two commitments: to provide immediate relief to those injured and to the families of those killed, and to honor the victims with action. We've kept the first promise by raising more than $9 million in relief aid - every penny of which will be distributed to victims’ families and those injured in the attack. But our lasting memorial to the lives lost must be to do the work of uprooting the anti-gay bigotry that led to this massacre.
Equality Florida Institute is poised to lead the Safe and Healthy School program’s collaborative efforts. We have been partnering with LGBTQ youth agencies since we first formed in 1997. We also have a long and successful history of working with school districts throughout Florida to ensure the safe and equal treatment of LGBTQ students. Statewide we have helped school districts institute anti-bullying and harassment policies inclusive of LGBTQ students.
National Parent Teacher Association
To read more about their support of LGBTQ youth click HERE
American School Counselor Association
The need for a statewide Safe and Healthy Schools Program cannot be overstated, and what is at stake for so many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning youth is nothing short of life or death. Even as we celebrate marriage equality and a number of other key victories, LGBTQ youth continue to face extensive risk factors for:
"Every student should have a fair chance to succeed in school, and today's victory is one step forward towards ensuring transgender students in Volusia County feel safe, valued, and respected. We are grateful to our friends at the The National Center for Lesbian Rights for their hard work to make this victory possible." - De Palazzo, Equality Florida Director of Safe & Healthy Schools
