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HLGBSP Links	School Climate.....
Homepage School Professionals Who are the school health professionals we assist? LGB Student Health Risks Find out about health risk for lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. Upcoming Project Events Learn about future Project events and activities. Search the Project's Database The Project's database of articles and book chapters related to LGB youth & health.	All students, including lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth, deserve the right to a school environment that is safe and conducive for learning to occur. However, there is evidence that significant challenges remain for creating positive school climates for LGB youth. For example: 97% of high school students report regularly hearing homophobic remarks.(Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of the Massachusetts Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, 1993.) One study found 18.4% of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual students had been in a physical fight resulting in treatment by a doctor or nurse compared to 4% of their peers, and 22.2% skipped school in the past month because they felt unsafe on route to or at school, compared to 4.2% of their peers. (Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Massachusetts Department of Education, 1997)  In a national survey, youth described being called lesbian or gay as the most deeply upsetting form of sexual harassment they experienced. (American Association of University Women, 1993) The Healthy LGB Students Project is planning on developing materials for school leaders on how they can improve the climate of the nation’s schools for LGB students. In addition, there are several policies and resources regarding LGB youth and school climate that are available on-line:  Policies: American Federation of Teachers. (1990). Educational Equity for Sexual Minorities. Adopted by the Delegates of the Convention. http://www.aft.org//human/resource/download/keeping.pdf American Federation of Teachers. (1994). Rights of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual People. Adopted by the Delegates of the Convention.  http://www.aft.org//human/resource/download/keeping.pdf American Federation of Teachers. (1996). Safety in All Schools.  Adopted by the Delegates of the Convention.  http://www.aft.org//human/resource/download/keeping.pdf American School Counselor Association. (1995). The Professional School  Counselor and the Sexual Orientation of Youth. Adopted by the Delegate Assembly. http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.cfm?L1=1000&L2=31 American School Health Association. (1994). Gay and Lesbian Youth in School. Adopted by the Board of Directors http://www.ashaweb.org/resolutions1.html#familylife National Association of School Nurses. (1994). Sexual Orientation Position Statement. Adopted by the Board of Directors. http://www.nasn.org/positions/orientation.htm National Association of School Psychologists. (1999). Position Statement on Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth. Adapted by the NASP Delegate Assembly.  http://www.nasponline.org/pdf/pospaper_glb.pdf National Education Association. (2000). Racism, Sexism, and Sexual Orientation Discrimination. Resolution B-9 as Adopted by the Representative Assembly. http://www.nea.org/resolutions/00/00b-9.html National School Boards Association. (2000). Non-Discrimination Belief and Policy of the National School Boards Association. Adopted by the Delegate Assembly.  http://www.nsba.org/about/beliefs.htm#Article II School Social Work Association of America (2001) Resolutions Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Questioning Youth. Approved by the Board of Directors. http://www.sswaa.org/about/publications/resolutions/glb.html Resources: Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation and Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators and School Personnel. A booklet for school personnel developed and endorsed by numerous mental health and teachers’ professional organizations.  Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund’s Back-to-School Kit. This kit gives resources on promoting safer schools for lesbian and gay students. The Kit highlights trends, action steps, and resources for securing fair treatment for lesbian and gay youth.  http://www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/iowa/documents/record?record=690 GLSEN’s Guide to Discrimination and Harassment Policies in Schools. This webpage gives basic information on considering the how-to’s of helping to protect gay and lesbian youth from harassment in schools based on effective policy.  http://www.glsen.org/templates/resources/ PFLAG’s From Our House to the School House: A Recipe for Safe Schools. This resource helps you conduct an assessment on school safety for LGB youth in your local school or district.  http://pflag.org/education/schools/ourhouse.html The American Civil Liberties Union has a Lesbian and Gay Rights Project that seeks to address efforts to help schools address homophobia before it occurs and escalates. Information is available on tips for schools and community, statistics on gay youth, and how to contact the ACLU for help and information. http://www.aclu.org/issues/gay/safe_schools.html
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