Greetings!
Welcome to the new school year-although we can't believe it's already November. A flurry of activities and events designed to create safer schools for our District's LGBTQ students and families have kept us busy. By sharing this information in a newsletter format, our hope is that you'll remain engaged in ways that you can support our youth to experience education in a safe environment.
All the best,
Kevin Gogin and Ilsa Bertolini
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LGBTQ Families Dinner Night Exceeds Expectations
We might have underestimated the response to our first
LGBTQ Families Dinner night. We expected a small
 | | Familes Dinner Night |
gathering of LGBTQ
families and allies at Alvarado Elementary School on October 13, and were pleasantly surprised by the 200 guests who arrived.
The evening included opportunities for families to connect with one another and gave us a chance to introduce District services and several community based organizations to these families. We look forward to making this connecting point an annual event.
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 | | Mom and Mum are Getting Married Book Cover |
Mom and Mum are Getting Married! Elementary Curriculum Expansion
We are distributing our most recent piece of elementary curriculum, based on the children's book: Mom and Mum are Getting Married. It tells the story of Rosie, whose two mothers are planning to get married, and follows Rosie as she chooses what role she gets to play at the wedding.
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Professional Development Opportunities
There will be two LGBTQ professional development trainings addressing issues for elementary, middle and high school students:  | | Ilsa and Kevin |
Topics include: how to negotiate the world of social networking; and how teachers and school staff can talk with students about sexual health within the context of our Gay Straight Alliance Clubs. We are looking forward to presentations from our colleagues Erik Martinez from Lavender Youth Recreation Center, and from Amy Scharf from Groundspark, who will introduce the new curriculum guide for the film Straightlaced. Interested in attending? Contact Us to register. |
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Two New State Bills are Now Law
- Seth's Law Tightens Anti-Bullying Policies
Although California has adopted anti-bullying legislation, LGBT youth are still subject to harassment, intimidation and bullying. Seth's Law will tighten anti-bullying policies in California schools by ensuring that all schools have clear and consistent policies, instituting better training and clearer guidelines for teachers and administrators, and establishing shorter timelines for investigating claims of bullying. AB 9 will help create a respectful and safe environment for all students. Visit Seth's Law
- Fair Education Act Sheds Light on Diversity
Studies have shown that inclusion of LGBTQ people in instructional materials is linked to greater student safety and lower rates of bullying. In schools where the contributions of the LGBTQ community are included in educational instruction, bullying declined by over half and LGBTQ students were more likely to feel they have an opportunity to make positive contributions at school. Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill that will fairly and accurately portray the LGBTQ civil rights movement and the historic contributions of the diverse community in social science instruction. Vist Fair Education Act
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