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GET A SAFE SCHOOLS POLICY
Success Story
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Brighton, New York
In the 2000-2001 school year, a group of parents in Brighton, New York (near Rochester) successfully lobbied their school board to include LGBT students under the school nondiscrimination policy.
Initially, the parents got together to discuss what they could do to make the district's schools more accepting of LGBT families. With help from the local LGBT community center, the Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley, and the Rochester chapter of GLSEN, the parents decided to ask the school board to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the district's nondiscrimination policy. They called themselves the Brighton Family Alliance.
Their first step was to send a letter introducing the proposal to the school board. In December, they attended a meeting during which the board began an initial review of the policy change. For this meeting, they distributed information packets that included some of the ACLU's Key Tools, including model policies, statistics on harassment, and common questions and answers about policies. Throughout the winter, Alliance members continued to send at least one person to every board meetings to maintain a presence and gauge board members' support.
Meanwhile, the Alliance continued to secure school and community support. They recruited a teacher to be involved and got coverage in a local newspaper. In addition, they asked the gay-straight alliance (GSA) at Brighton High School to organize letters to the board from students describing their personal experiences with discrimination and harassment.
After about six months of campaigning, the Brighton Family Alliance had their big day before the school board. At the meeting, parents and teachers pressed the key arguments in support of the policy change: it was the right thing to do, it was consistent with the district's stated values, it would ultimately strengthen the district by bringing diversity and attracting qualified personnel, and it would contribute to every student's safety.
But it was the student letters and testimony that proved critical to winning board support. Some board members clearly had no idea that gay bashing occurred in the schools. The stories moved skeptical board members and convinced them that there was indeed a problem.
The school board voted unanimously to make the policy changes. It also instructed the school superintendent to develop regulations, communication strategies, and training to implement and enforce the policy.
Members of the Brighton Family Alliance say the effort has significantly increased awareness about anti-LGBT discrimination in their schools. "I think the process made a difference in that many people were energized by the effort," says Alliance member Susan Pryntz. "The GSA realized they could accomplish great things and went on to do some fabulous projects in the high school. And the parents were ready for next steps, like creating inclusive curriculums."
>> Next: Steps to Get There
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