GLSEN grades schools on youth
Q-Notes T October 4,1997 T PAGE 3
by Kate Frankfurt
Special to Q-Notes
WASHINGTON, DC—^The nations larg
est organization addressing anti-gay bias in
schools released its first “report cards” Septem
ber 18 identifying schools that foil to protect
students and teachers from harassment and dis
crimination. The average grade was a C. Win
ston-Salem, NC schools were included in the
study and received an E
The annual report cards were prompted by
the 1996 landmark court decision in which
Wisconsin High School smdent Jamie Nabozny
won $900,000 in punitive damages against his
school district due to the school’s failure to pro
tect him from harassment and physical harm.
This decision established a precedent on anti
gay harassment that affects schools across the
country.
- “The Nabozny decision, for the first time,
holds school systems accountable for offering
equal protection to gay and lesbian students,”
said Kevin Jennings, executive director of the
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
(GLSEN), the smdy’s sponsor. “The report card
initiative is our effort to make fair, objective
judgments of schools on this issue and to un
derstand what steps are needed to improve con
ditions. The results show a need for immediate
and dramatic action to protect our students.”
Among the report’s findings:
• Half the school districts received a failing
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grade.
• Massachusetts, the first state in the nation
to enaa legislation prohibiting discrimination
in public schools on the basis of sexual orienta
tion, received the highest grade — an A-mi-
nus.
• The national average drops from a C to a
D when Massachusetts is removed from the
scoring.
The reports were based on data collected
from 128 districts in 20 states nationwide and
compiled by 62 GLSEN chapters. Criteria used
included whether schools have policies in place
that: protect students and teachers from harass
ment and discrimination; provide staff with
workshops and training; provide accurate and
age-appropriate information in school librar
ies; support extracurricular activities and clubs;
and offer an accurate and inclusive curriculum.
According to the findings of another study,
a typical high school smdent hears anti-gay slurs
as often as 25.5 times a day. When this occurs,
only 3 percent of faculty will intervene in such
incidents. As a result of this lack of interven
tion, 19 percent of gay and lesbian smdents
suffer physical attacks associated with sexual
orientation with 13 percent skipping school at
least once per month and 26 percent dropping
out all together.
The starding numbers, along with recent
legal acdons taken by smdents against their
school systems for failure to protect them from
harassment, have brought
to light the need for a na-
donwide advocacy effort
to protect gay and lesbian
students, esdmated to be
5 million or 9 percent of
the total school popula-
don, from such discrimi
nation. With lesbian, gay
and bisexual youth in
creasingly visible, many
school districts will find it
necessary to address anti
gay discrimination and
harassment for the first
time. ▼
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