We are reaching out with a reminder that Equality California (EQCA) will soon be sending out surveys to school districts throughout California for the purpose of updating the information in their Safe and Supportive Schools report, which is published every two years (see here for the most recent edition). This report is a vitally important source of information for LGBTQIA+ families seeking to understand the degree to which their school district is implementing supportive measures for LGBTQIA+ students and families. 

As reflected on this map, most school districts in Sonoma County did not respond when the survey last went out in 2018. If you have a student in a local school district or want to help create more LGBTQIA+ inclusive learning environments in our community, please consider using or modifying one of the email templates below from EQCA to contact your superintendent or local school board to encourage them to participate. The survey should be going out to schools during the month of November, so please get in touch with your district at your earliest convenience!

In addition to the information in the templates below, points you can include in your message or follow-up conversation with your district include:

• With the availability of one-time pandemic response funds, school districts have a unique opportunity in the next couple of years to invest in social emotional supports and learning loss mitigation efforts for LGBTQIA+ students that would be responsive to many of the issues addressed in the EQCA survey. These measures include investing in professional development for educators around LGBTQIA+ cultural responsiveness, as well as in teaching LGBTQIA+ history and LGBTQIA+ inclusive health education. Funds can also be used for curriculum updates, facilities updates to ensure all gender restroom/locker room access, and support for LGBTQIA+ student clubs such as GSAs. You can find more detail about these and other supportive measures in this May 2021 open letter from the Sonoma County LGBTQIA+ Coalition to all Sonoma County school districts.
   
• Putting supportive measures in place for LGBTQIA+ students will help school districts ensure that they are compliance with AB 493, which became effective on July 1, 2021, and requires the California Department of Education to develop training and resources for educators and other school staff to create more supportive environments for LGBTQIA+ students and connect them with community resources, such as those listed here. Schools are encouraged to utilize these training materials at least once every two years in grades 7 through 12.
   
• For districts with fewer resources available to implement supportive measures in areas of the survey that they are concerned will reflect negatively on them, one way to encourage participation can be to highlight that survey results can be a means of demonstrating a district’s funding needs to the state with regard to compliance with the many laws that are now in place that require LGBTQIA+ student support in California schools.
   
• As listed here, a number of local organizations serve LGBTQIA+ youth and families in Sonoma County, and are available to work with schools in developing and implementing supportive measures for LGBTQIA+ students.

For additional background on current efforts related to the EQCA Safe and Supportive Schools report, as well as the amazing work that our friends at Our Family Coalition have been doing to advance this important initiative, check out this article.

Note that you can also find your Sonoma County school district’s superintendent and contact information here. It may also be helpful to contact district administrators who work in student services, educational services, and/or student wellness. It is our understanding that schools will have until about March to respond to the surveys.

Please consider reaching out to your local school district today, and feel free to contact us at northbaylgbtqifamilies@gmail.com with any questions!

With Gratitude,

Ana Flores Tindall (she/her/they/them)
Sal Andropoulos (they/them)
Kayla Flores Tindall (she/her)
Sam Coates (he/him)
Zahyra Garcia (she/her/they/them)

North Bay LGBTQI Families
Parent Leadership Group

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Email Templates from EQCA

(Superintendents)

Hello Superintendent X,

My name is X. I am a parent/community member/other who lives in X.

I’m reaching out with regard to Equality California’s Safe and Supportive Schools Program, a California Department of Education endorsed program which collects data on school district policies and practices with regard to school climate, curriculum, suicide prevention, and other areas. This data is published bi-annually in a report that provides critical information on where districts stand in their implementation of laws and best practices with regard to safe and supportive school environments. Last year’s report is available at this link.

This survey is sent out to school districts every two years to gauge where they are in these areas. In 2018, the last year that the survey went out, your district did not respond. Equality California is now preparing to send out the next survey, with the goal of publishing our findings in 2022. We would like to schedule a time to speak with you about the survey and the importance of your district responding to it via a virtual call.

Please let us know if you’re available for a short, 30 minute meeting to discuss. We hope to work with you to improve school climate in X Unified and across California and to support LGBTQ and all students.

Thank you and all the best,
X

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(School Board Members)

Hello Board Member X,

My name is X. I am a parent/community member/other who lives in X.

I’m reaching out with regard to Equality California’s Safe and Supportive Schools Program, a California Department of Education endorsed program which collects data on school district policies and practices with regard to school climate, curriculum, suicide prevention, and other areas. This data is published bi-annually in a report that provides critical information on where districts stand in their implementation of laws and best practices with regard to safe and supportive school environments. Last year’s report is available at this link.

This survey is sent out to school districts every two years to gauge where they are in these areas. In 2018, the last year that the survey went out, your district did not respond. Equality California is now preparing to send out the next survey, with the goal of publishing our findings in 2022. We would like to schedule a time to speak with you about the survey and the importance of your district responding to it via a virtual call.

Please let us know if you’re available for a short, 30 minute meeting to discuss. We hope to work with you to improve school climate in X Unified and across California and to support LGBTQ and all students.

Thank you and all the best,
X