Joy, community, leadership — these three values anchor this year’s Lead With Pride Summit, ACSA’s annual gathering of educators who hope to create schools where every student and educator feels safe, valued and celebrated.

Lead With Pride Summit will take place Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 in Long Beach to bring together school leaders looking to strengthen their work in belonging and inclusion through learning, connection and community. Designed for teachers, principals, district leaders and site administrators, the 2.5-day summit will offer practices, insights and solutions for creating safe, affirming environments for LGBTQIA+ students and staff.

Participants will have opportunities to obtain legal and policy clarity surrounding Title IX, pronoun policies, anti-discrimination law and state-level legislation, while also listening to sessions on staff training and culture, curriculum, supporting GSA clubs and more.

Tevin Davis will open Lead With Pride’s program on Wednesday with his keynote remarks. Davis is an artist, advocate and social media influencer.

“Pride is what happens when you look at the parts of yourself that the world tries to make you hide, and you choose to honor them anyway,” Davis said as part of The Christopher Street Project’s “Pride is Power” video call.

Thursday’s keynote speaker, Tell Williams IV, brings experience as a licensed therapist, comedian and former pre-kindergarten teacher. Known online as “Mr. Williams PreK,” Williams uses humor to advocate for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities. He has toured with the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour, appeared in the Emmy-nominated series “The Book of Queer” and frequently co-hosts the “Teachers Off Duty” podcast.

Lead With Pride Summit will conclude Friday with a panel discussion, allowing attendees to hear diverse perspectives and connect the event’s themes to their leadership.

Summit Planning Committee Chair Dr. Julie Vitale, superintendent of Oceanside Unified School District, said learning how California law protects all children is vital for school leaders.

“As educators, we have the responsibility to educate all children and ensure they are healthy and ready for the world,” Vitale said. “That includes our LGBTQIA+ youth.”