Equality Arlington Calls on Arlington School Board to Support LGBTQ+ Students

Dear Ms. Diaz-Torres,

We strongly urge the Arlington School Board to adopt the Superintendent’s proposed Strategic Plan implementation and monitoring elements which include a performance objective supporting LGBTQ+ students. Equality Arlington, along with other advocates, LGBTQ+ students, and parents of LGBTQ+ students, has been working with Arlington Public Schools (APS) since October 2023 to ensure that the Strategic Plan addresses gaps in wellbeing and safety for LGBTQ+ students in our schools.

The proposed performance objective provides an opportunity for APS to build on recent efforts to collect substantive data on the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ students including their feelings of connectedness, safety, and support from adults. It will also help ensure that resources are available to address the gaps in policy and practice that leave some LGBTQ+ students feeling harassed and unsupported in school.

According to the 2019 Community Report Card on the Status of Children, Youth, and Families, Arlington’s LGBTQ+ youth report higher rates of bullying at school, depressive symptoms, and being sexually harassed at school than their heterosexual or cisgendered peers. We have heard directly from some students within APS, especially those who identify as transgender or nonbinary, that they have been subjected to bullying with no redress from staff and have, at times, encountered school environments where they feel they have to hide who they are out of fear.

APS should be a model for providing an inclusive and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ students so they can focus on developing the social, emotional, and academic skills needed to live a healthy and fulfilling life. The proposed LGBTQ+ student performance objective helps APS move in that direction.

Sincerely,

Kellen MacBeth

President, Equality Arlington

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