News Briefs | FYI | Sept.18, 2023

Association of California School Administrators

News Briefs | FYI

September 18, 2023

Survey of LGBTQ+ youth reveals experiences at school

Almost half of LGBTQ+ students, including over half of transgender and gender-expansive youth, feel unsafe in at least one school setting, according to a recent survey of LGBTQ+ youth.

In August, The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, released a report in partnership with the University of Connecticut featuring data collected in 2022 from nearly 13,000 LGBTQ+ youth (ages 13-18) across the country.

The report presents extensive data on LGBTQ+ youth experiences, including at school. Key findings from the 2023 Youth Report regarding school experiences include:

Almost half (46.1 percent) of LGBTQ+ youth, including over half (54.9 percent) of transgender and gender-expansive youth, feel unsafe in at least one school setting.
Bathrooms and locker rooms are where LGBTQ+ youth feel the least safe.
1 in 3 (37.9 percent) youth report that others “always” use their correct name.
Fewer than 1 in 7 LGBTQ+ youth report having been taught about LGBTQ+ history.
Nearly 73 percent of youth attend a school with a GSA or similar club, (a substantial increase from 2017’s survey, where three-fifths of youth had access to a GSA or similar club).
22.5 percent of LGBTQ+ youth were playing sports, although LGBTQ+ youth were less likely than U.S. youth overall to be playing sports.
Almost 6 in 10 LGBTQ+ youth — including 62.6 percent of transgender and gender-expansive youth — have been “teased, bullied, or treated badly” at school for at least one reason in the prior year.
Only 1 in 5 (22.4 percent) of LGBTQ+ youth ever told a teacher or staff member about bullying encountered at school.

“The results of HRC’s 2022 Youth Survey reveal persistent, serious challenges for LGBTQ+ youth, continuing trends observed in the 2017 study,” according to the introduction of the report. “In many cases, the cards remain stacked against LGBTQ+ youth in terms of acceptance and support from their families, their mental health and safety in schools. Transgender and gender-expansive youth also face unique challenges, with harmful anti-trans laws, and a lack of inclusive school policies and procedures, creating obstacles to their safety and well-being.”

The study also focuses on LGBTQ+ youth experiences at home; sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) development and milestones; mental health and well-being; and hopes, fears and dreams for the future.

Read the full report at reports.hrc.org/2023-lgbtq-youth-report.

CASCD announces new board members, president

The California affiliate of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (CASCD) recently installed Sue Kaiser as its president.

Kaiser is a longtime member of ACSA Region 15 and has served at the state level as a member of the ACSA Board of Directors and as Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability Council president.

Derrick Lawson, principal of Indio High School in Desert Sands USD, will serve as the president-elect. Lawson is also active on ACSA’s Secondary Education Council and is a board member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). New CASCD board members installed were Ana Boyenga (ACSA Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability Council president), Isaac Huang (past-president of California Association of Asian & Pacific Leaders in Education–CAAPLE) and Jason Borgen (Chief Technology & Innovations officer, Santa Clara COE).

FYI

Hot topics for small school districts to be discussed

ACSA members serving in small school districts are invited to attend a virtual session, Small School District Leaders: Hot Topics Discussion, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Sept. 22, 2023. Please visit www.acsa.org/committees-councils#tab4 for the registration link.

LEAs invited to apply for Green Ribbon recognition

The CDE is pleased to announce the opportunity for LEAs to honor their environmental literacy and sustainability efforts while spotlighting replicable best practices through the California Green Ribbon Schools recognition program. Applications are now available for the 11th cycle of the program. Interested applicants should first complete the 2023-24 Application Interest Survey at surveys3.cde.ca.gov/s.asp?k=168428224687. The survey and the online application period will close at noon on Oct. 27. Email greenribbonschools@cde.ca.gov with any questions or to request more information.

Instructional Quality Commission seeks members

The SBE will be appointing four members for a four-year term from currently practicing teachers and/or leaders with experience and expertise in English language arts/English language development, health/physical education, and mathematics, and one student member to serve a one-year term on the IQC. Any student who is a California resident enrolled in a public high school for a minimum of two consecutive years and will be a senior in good standing for the 2024-25 school year is eligible to apply. Application information is at www.cde.ca.gov/be/cc/ab/. The deadline is 5 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2023.