LAUSD Passes Resolution to Make Schools Safer for Gay Students

The Los Angeles Unified School District is aiming to make schools safer for gay students. 

At its biweekly meeting held Tuesday afternoon, the seven-member LAUSD school board unanimously passed the “LGBT and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Anti-Bullying Resolution,” which takes specific steps to ensure a safe environment for LGBT students.

The resolution sponsored by Steve Zimmer, who represents the LAUSD 4th district that includes West Hollywood and much of Hollywood, will ensure an LGBT-inclusive curriculum.

“As a teacher, I know how important it is for students and families to be included and recognized in school,” Zimmer said. “We’ve seen the cost of invisibility and rejection. Last year there was a spate of suicides across the country attributed to anti-gay bullying.”

Zimmer added that LAUSD has an ongoing commitment to creating safe environments for LGBT students. “We want our youth to feel that school is a protective factor, not a risk factor,” he said. “And we won’t rest until all students are safe.”

Board President Monica Garcia, who co-sponsored the resolution, said, “All students have the right to feel safe and supported.”

Board member Nury Martinez, who also co-sponsored the resolution, added, “I hope we can create school environments that nurture greater understanding, respect and acceptance of LGBT students throughout the district.”

The resolution came in response to the July passage of a new state law, SB48, the FAIR Education Act (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful). That bill calls upon schools to include in their social studies curriculums the contributions of Americans who are gay, African American, Latino, Asian Pacific Islander, female or have disabilities.

A group called Stop SB48 is trying to get enough signatures to create a ballot measure to overturn the law, due to go into effect in January.

The LAUSD board said that all children deserve to see themselves and their families positively represented in their curriculum. It is unclear whether the board’s resolution would stand if SB48 is overturned.

With this resolution, LAUSD will require LGBT sensitivity training for staff and teachers, as well as legal training for staff members to understand their responsibilities to LGBT students and families. Teachers and staff will also be required to intervene when they hear students using anti-gay language.

The superintendent is scheduled to report back to the board in November on specific ways for implementation of those points.

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