Forum Questions for D65 Candidates-Supporting LGBTQ+ students and families
In ensuring a safe learning environment for LGBTQ+ students, what resources have you used so far to inform your policy? What organizations would you ask for help? Who are the experts you will call on to help in emergency situations relating to LGBTQ+ students, staff, teachers, and parents? What District 65's policies address LGBTQ+ youth, staff/employees, and educational topics? Do you have suggestions for board policy to alter, enhance, or amend current policies?
How familiar are you with the district’s policy around LGBTQ+ youth? What questions or further learning do you have? How familiar are you with the district’s policy around LGBTQ+ staff members and employees? What questions or further learning do you have?
LGBTQ+ identities and the concept of inclusion have been under attack in public discourse. How will you remain committed to supporting these students and families and not just in a statement or stand alone policy? What are three specific actions you will take as a board member to support LGBTQ+ identities and principles of inclusion?
How will you respond to the problem that the schools do not have sufficient gender neutral bathrooms to serve the gender non-conforming and trans student population? Currently, teachers actively tell their gnc and trans students to use bathrooms which do not align with their gender, even though we know this directly exacerbates body dysphoria and leads to increased suicidal thoughts in the student body. Where will inclusive facilities be placed in an infrastructure priority list by you as an incoming board member? What is more important to address? What can wait?
The use of pronouns has been co-opted and politicized of late. What can you, and D65, do to educate our community in the importance of pronoun respect and introductions? What can you do to educate the community on the reality that pronouns are a part of speech and despite being politicized and weaponized, are not political?
D65 students encounter many adults throughout their day in addition to their teachers. How can you as a board member ensure queer students feel safe and supported in their identity throughout these interactions? How will you ensure that school staff abides by LGBTQ+ inclusive policies?
Will you commit to creating a board policy to demand inclusivity training for staffers and volunteers beyond teachers? What accountability measures will you use if your administration doesn't meet your inclusivity training goals?
Do you agree with the district decision to eliminate focused equity weeks? In the past, the district devoted a week to LGBTQ+ visibility. A wonderful curriculum still exists. Would you encourage the administration to bring back that week of instruction and celebration? Do you feel the current plan of integrating lessons into the whole year has been done with fidelity across grade levels and schools? Do you feel that the current curriculum is inclusive and represents people in this community?
Given the current financial situation, how will you make sure that training on this topic is still a priority for the district? How would you instruct the superintendent to ensure all schools are equally supporting LGBTQ+ kids, staff and families? What sort of trainings would you recommend?
This comment/question was submitted in the community wide call for questions for this forum-
“In what ways is this topic important in the education of my children? I believe parents at home should take care of that topic not in schools.”
When addressed by a community member who wants to keep LGBTQ+ topics out of the classroom, what would the first three sentences of your reply email be?