Safe Schools for All Youth
The Issue
Texas should provide a safe learning environment free from bullying and harassment for all its students.
In order to learn, all students must be safe from physical, mental and emotional harm regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, ability, or physical appearance.
Under current law, students are not specifically protected from bullying and harassment based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Current law does not establish a uniform state school conduct policy, and does not provide for monitoring or enforcement of independent school district policies.
Equality Texas advocates for legislation that creates a safe and optimal learning environment for all students, including training and supporting educators so that they can prevent and address acts of bullying and harassment.
Legislation passed in 2005 amended Chapter 37 of the Education Code to require school districts to adopt student codes of conduct that explicitly proscribe bullying and harassment. We support efforts to measure compliance with this legislation and to evaluate the effectiveness of these codes in Texas public schools.
Equality Texas Foundation’s Safe Schools Initiative is focusing on four primary strategies to secure adoption of model policies in Texas independent school districts that address the prevention, intervention, and elimination of bullying and harassment, and that are inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression:
• A Texas Safe Schools Coalition,
• Research data compiled by professional educators on bullying and harassment in Texas schools,
• Community education forums, and
• A Texas Gay Straight Alliance Network.
The Texas Safe Schools Coalition is meeting and working to identify effective policies that schools and districts may adopt to reduce or eliminate bullying and harassment. The goal is to find policies that protect students from harm, but do not create unnecessary burdens upon students, teachers, administrators or districts. Participants in the Texas Safe Schools Coalition represent members, principals, educators, and administrators in local school districts.
Members of the Safe Schools Coalition have identified credible research compiled by professional educators with input directly from classroom teachers (86%) and administrators, librarians, counselors, coaches and consultants (14%). In a survey conducted by the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), 94% of respondents indicated that their school district code of conduct expressly prohibited bullying, and yet 90% indicated that bullying of students was still a problem.
The coalition is working on methods to facilitate the gathering and sharing of additional data. This may also involve participation in the upcoming review of the Public Education Information Management Systems “PEIMS” scheduled for 2009, with the goal of “asking better questions” for state-mandated information on bullying in schools.
Community education forums serve to educate the public about the effects of bullying and harassment on students, how safe school policies and gay straight alliances can positively affect the learning environment, and best practices for prevention and reporting of bullying and harassment incidents. The forums should serve two functions: first, to educate parents, students, and educators about the state of anti-bullying and harassment policies; and, second, to encourage parents, students, and educators to become advocates for model policies that protect students from bullying and harassment.
During 2008, Equality Texas Foundation re-granted $21,800 to OutYouth as part of their development of the Texas Gay Straight Alliance Network. Through peer support, leadership development, and training, Texas GSA Network supports young people in starting, strengthening, and sustaining gay straight alliances.
Equality Texas Foundation’s Safe Schools Initiative receives financial support provided by Tides Foundation’s State Equality Fund, a philanthropic partnership that includes the Evelyn and Walter Hass, Jr. Fund, the Gill Foundation, and anonymous donors; the Dell Foundation; and the Hollyfield Foundation.