School safety for all: using the coordinated school health program to increase safety for LGBTQ students.

School violence and school safety have emerged as a predominant concern for educators, parents, and students. Highly publicized incidents involving school violence at Jonesboro, Paducah, Springfield and Littleton have drawn our unwilling attention to the fact that schools can no longer be assumed to be safe environments for learning (Gabarino, 2001). Among those at especially high risk for school-related violence are students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered and those that are questioning their sexual orientation (LGBTQ) (Garofalo, R., Wolf, C., Kessel, S., Palfrey, J. & DuRant, R., 1998; Reis, B. & Saewyz, E., 1999).

Issues surrounding LGBTQ youth provide fuel for controversy in our schools. School districts have an obligation, backed up by legal liability, to change a school culture and climate that ignores or promotes homophobia. This responsibility of the districts includes providing all school personnel with the skills and resources needed to promote an environment that does not tolerate harassment. The Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP) is a health promotion program that can offer guidance and structure in helping school districts change their climate, culture and environment.

This health promotion program is not about sex. It is not about morality. It is about safety, equal access and equal protection. It is about ensuring that all students are able to achieve their best in school. Ultimately, it is about being proactive in preventing violence and harassment. Arguably, all school personnel share a common concern- that all students deserve an opportunity for learning and healthy development in a safe and supportive environment. This article focuses on ways in which schools can effectively make use of the CSHP to ensure the safety of LGBTQ students,

SAFETY ISSUES AND THE LGBTQ STUDENT

For LGBT students nationwide, discrimination and harassment are the rule, not the exception. A study of Massachusetts's high school students reported that close to one-third of gay teens had been threatened in the past month with a weapon at school, compared to 7% of heterosexual students (Garofalo et al., 1998).

A 1993 study revealed that 97% of students in a Boston public school said they heard homophobic remarks on a regular basis from their peers, with 53% reporting homophobic comments by their teachers (Massachusetts Governor's Commission, 1993). Another study involving 32 states found that over 90% of LGBT youth reported that they "sometimes" or "frequently" hear homophobic comments in school and over 80% reported that faculty and staff never intervened (Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network, 2002).

Home environments can also be unsafe for LGBT youth. Forty-two percent of New York City homeless youth are lesbian, gay, or bisexual (Bruce & Obolensky, 1990). Franklin (1998) looked at hate crimes and revealed that 18% of male students at community colleges had committed physical violence or threats against men and/or women they perceived as gay or lesbian (Franklin, 1998).

The attitude of faculty and staff toward LGBT students is alarming as well. One ranking system measured educators' attitudes toward gay and lesbian youth and teachers and found that two-thirds of school counselors had "negative" attitudes about lesbian and gay youth. Additionally, one of three prospective teachers in the study could be classified as "high-grade homophobes," with over half reporting that they would feel uncomfortable working with an openly lesbian or gay colleague (Sears, 1992).

It is easy to understand the negative impact that this unsafe environment has on the health behaviors of LGBT youth. Forty percent of gay youth report schoolwork being negatively affected by conflicts around sexual orientation and 28% of gay youth drop out of school (Sears, 1991). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that 30% of all youth suicides are by lesbian/gay youth. Gay youth are 2-3 times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth (US Department of Health and Human Services, 1989).

Clearly, LGBTQ students experience safety issues that are likely to affect their ability to learn. As reflected in the research described above, these safety issues involve physical assaults, verbal harassment, marginalization, and sexual harassment. Because of these issues, LGBTQ students report greater rates of absenteeism, preoccupation with physical safety a feeling of exclusion, greater rates of substance abuse, and higher rates of emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety.

ADDRESSING SAFETY ISSUES IN SCHOOLS

In addressing safety issues in schools, Saunders points to three ways that any student, regardless of sexual orientation, can be physically hurt at school and three ways they can get emotionally hurt at school (Saunders, 1999). Table 1 details these and identifies specific risks for LGBTQ students.

Saunders further suggested that "there are three ways schools can prevent students from being injured both physically and emotionally ..." (Saunders, 1999). Specific to the needs of LGBTQ students, schools can (a) protect them through the provision of adequate supervision; (b) establish and enforce regulations to ensure safety for all; and (c) educate students on issues related to safety. These educational interventions may address conflict resolution, encourage respect for all, and promote tolerance of differences.

Although addressing such issues can initially appear a daunting task, adding yet another priority to a seemingly endless list of responsibilities, many schools already have a program ideally positioned to advocate for the safety rights of LGBTQ students. The remainder of this article will describe the Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP) and will elaborate on the use of this program for the purpose of ensuring the safety of LGBTQ students.

USING THE CSHP TO CHANGE HOMOPHOBIC CLIMATE AND CULTURE

The CSHP involves eight different potential influences on the health and education of the student and adult populations in the school system. The eight components of health education, physical education, health services, nutrition services, healthy school environment, health promotion for staff, counseling, psychological and social services and family/community involvement offer a coordinated approach for improving health and social issues within the school setting.

The CSHP Model invites families, schools and communities to work together in order to improve the student's health and ultimately the health of the community. It is a "Program Model for Best Practice" (Telljohann, Symons & Miller, 2001). The CDC School Health Guidelines to Prevent Unintentional Injuries and Violence also incorporate the CS HP modal.

The CSHP recognizes that health and learning go hand in hand. Teaching through health promotion can be extremely effective in reducing and preventing the six recognized health risk behaviors for today's youth. The Centers for Disease Control has identified six health risk behaviors: tobacco use, dietary behaviors that lead to disease, insufficient physical activity, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behaviors that lead to infection, disease and unintended pregnancy, and behaviors that result in intentional and unintentional injury.

These behaviors usually are established during youth, persist into adulthood, are interrelated, and are preventable. In addition to causing serious health problems, these behaviors simultaneously cause many of the educational and social problems that confront the nation (CDC, 2002).

The National Commission on the Role of the School and Community in Improving Adolescent Health was formed jointly by the National School Boards Association and the American Medical Association. In 1990 they issued a report, CODE BLUE that warned, "Health and learning are inextricably linked.... Children cannot reach their academic potential if they have social, emotional, and physical problems that interfere with their learning" (Rudiger, 2002).

Any environment that is unsafe and not inclusive of all youth, including LGBT youth, is an environment that can potentially interfere with the learning of ALL youth. LGBT youth are exposed to violence through bullying, teasing, physical and verbal abuse. They are invited to "hide" in shame and feel isolated, alone and invisible. When other students are exposed to this violence, there is a significant negative influence on their school success. The CSHP provides an appropriate model for a school or district-wide health promotion program to create a safe and supportive environment free of violence, heterosexism, and homophobia.

APPLICATION OF SPECIFIC COMPONENTS OF THE COORDINATED SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAM

COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL HEALTH EDUCATION

[] Planned, sequential, developmentally appropriate, and cross-curricular lesson plans.

[] Suggested lesson plans;

* Bullying--include component to empower by-standers.

* Violence prevention curricula

* Gay and Lesbian struggle for equality (http://www.glsen.org/templates/news record.html?section=12&record=935)

* Rock and Roll Library "Scarecrow" Lesson Plans (http://www.glsen.org/templates/ resources/record.html?section=17&record=891)

* GLSEN Resource Center--(http://www.glsen.org/templates/resources/ index.html?section=16)

[] Established classroom guidelines about name-calling and respect of different points of view.

[] Use of sexual orientation neutral language.

[] Positive visuals and images in classroom.

[] Include LGBT books and resources in the class.

[] Recognize all family structures.

[] Make no assumptions about the students' family or their sexual orientation.

HEALTHY SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

[] Create and post anti-slur policies.

[] School Board policy that includes sexual orientation in all anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policy.

[] Establish zero tolerance policy for harassment based on sexual orientation.

[] Display positive images and resources.

[] Policy that support faculty and staff addressing name-calling immediately.

[] School Board adoption of National Education Association (NEA) plan to make schools safer. (http://www.nea.org/ur/ur020208.html)

COUNSELING, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL SERVICES

[] Assist student and faculty/staff with the organization of gay/straight alliances.

[] Assist library in including LGBT books and resources.

[] Facilitate, as needed, a support group for LGBT students.

[] Evaluate all school forms to ensure sensitivity to diverse families.

[] Provide lists of community resources for students, faculty and staff.

[] Facilitate online discussion and/or question/answer sessions.

[] Train peer educators/counselors for sensitivity to LGBTQ issues.

HEALTH PROMOTION FOR STAFF

[] Schedule staff development addressing LGBT issues.

* Include legal obligations and responsibilities.

* Include education of correct terminology.

* Include education of sexual orientation neutral language.

[] Encourage faculty and staff to explore how their own beliefs or values may contribute to their failure to ensure equal treatment and protection of LGBTQ students.

[] Support Faculty/Staff gay/straight alliances.

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

[] Host diversity fairs that are inclusive of LGBT students and families.

[] Encourage at-home discussions with take-home activities.

[] Involve clergy, who are "out" to be involved in leading discussions.

[] Facilitate assemblies of LGBTQ panels.

[] Include parents and families willing to share experiences.

[] Schedule speakers from PFLAG and GLSEN.

SUMMARY

Use of the Coordinated School Health Program provides an established framework to guide school districts in their quest to provide safe environments for all students. This article has provided a basis for educational personnel to continue the dialogue about safety, particularly for LGBTQ students. Practical and specific suggestions and ideas are provided to aide in this ongoing dialogue. To ignore a population that is at high-risk for violence, such as LGBTQ youth, is harmful to ALL students. Clearly, safety of the students in our schools is paramount in the minds of educational personnel and parents and the Coordinated School Health Program provides a framework to promote safety in the schools.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

[] The Gay, Lesbian, Strait Education Network (GLSEN) (212)-727-0135 http://www.glsen.org

[] The American Civil Liberties Union. "Making Schools Safe: An Educational Program from the Lesbian & Gay Rights Project." 212-549-2500

[] Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG) http://www.pflag.org

[] Gay and Lesbian Association Against Defamation (GLAAD) http://www.glaad.org/index.php

[] National Hotline for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth

[] 1-800-347-TEEN

[] Info for Queer Youth http://www.youthresource.com

[] Oasis Youth http://www.oasismag.com

Table 1. Safety Issues for Students in Schools (Saunders, 1999)

Safety Issues for Students in
  Schools                           Specific Risks for LGBTQ Students

Forms of Physically Hurt at
  School

1. The child does something       [] The LGBTQ student may engage in
   to cause an injury.               self-harming behaviors (cutting,
                                     self-mutilation, suicide)--usual-
                                     ly as a result of emotional hurt.
                                  [] The LGBTQ student may initiate
                                     physical altercations with other
                                     students in an attempt to
                                     reclaim respect or to avoid
                                     continued harassment.
2. The physical situation            None noted
   causes the injury. Examples
   are lax or nonexistent
   maintenance [e.g., of play-
   ground equipment) and envi-
   ronmental toxins.
3. Another person causes the      [] The LGBTQ student may be pushed,
   injury. Examples are violent      punched, kicked, or otherwise
   or criminal behavior of           beaten by one or more homophobic
   another student, and absent       students.
   or inadequate supervision by   [] The LGBTQ student may be sexually
   staff.                            assaulted by another student or
                                     group of students.
                                  [] Teachers and administrators may
                                     "look the other way" and avoid
                                     intervening in hallway skirmishes
                                     targeting the student because of
                                     sexual orientation.

Forms of Emotional Hurt at
  Schools

1. The child can be the victim    [] The LGBTQ student may be verbally
   of verbal abuse by a staff        threatened "God hates fags. You
   member or student or be           deserve to die."
   bullied by a student.          [] The LGBTQ student may experience
                                     name-calling by teachers, coaches,
                                     administrators or students: "What
                                     are you, a queer?" "You really
                                     ought to clean up better: you
                                     look like a dyke." "The football
                                     team is no place for fags."
2. The child can be sexually      [] The LGBTQ student may be harassed
   harassed by a teacher or          by a member of the opposite sex,
   another student                   suggesting that a sexual expe-
                                     rience with them would cure the
                                     student of being LGBTQ.
3. The child can be discrimi-     [] The school counselor may engage
   nated against by students         in stereotyping when providing
   and/or teachers because of        career guidance.
   race, sex, religion,           [] An LGBTQ student may be over-
   ethnicity, disability, or         looked for leadership positions
   some other reason.                due to sexual orientation.

REFERENCES

Bruce J. & Obolensky N. (1990). Runaway and homeless youth. Tulsa, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2002). Adolescent and school health. [Electronic version]. Retrieved on March 25, 2002 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/

Franklin K. (1998). Psychosocial motivations of hate crimes perpetrators: Implications for educational intervention. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.

Gabarino, J. (2001). School violence: Assessment, management, prevention. In M. Shafii & S. Shafii (Eds.). Making sense of school violence: Why do kids kill?. (pp. 3-24). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

Garofalo, R., Wolf, C., Kessel, S., Palfrey, J. & DuRant. R. (1998). The association between health risk behaviors and sexual orientation among a school-based sample of adolescents. Pediatrics, 101, 895-902.

Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network. (2002). GLSEN's 2001 National School Climate Survey: Complete Findings. [Electronic version]. Retrieved March 25, 2002 from http://www.glsen.org

Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. (1993). Making schools safe for gay and lesbian youth: Report of the Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. Boston, Mass: Massachusetts Governor's Office, Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth.

Reis, B. & Saewyc, E. (1999). Eighty-three thousand youth: Selected findings of eight population-based studies as they pertain to anti-gay harassment and the safety and well-being of sexual minority students. Seattle, WA: Safe Schools Coalition of Washington.

Rudiger, K. (2002). School health programs and academic achievement. [Electronic version]. Retrieved May 10, 2002 from http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/whats_new/health/sep01.shtm

Sounders, C. (1999). Safe at school: Awareness and action for parents of kids k-12. New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin.

Sears, J. (1991). Growing up gay in the south. New York, NY: Haworth Press.

Sears, J. (1992). Educators, homosexuality and homosexual students: Are personal feelings related to professional beliefs? In K. Harbeck (Ed.), Coming out of the closet (pp. 29-30). New York, NY: Harrington Park Press.

Telljohann, S., Symons C. & Miller, D. (2001). Health education: Elementary and middle school applications. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

United States Department of Health and Human Services. (1989). Report of the secretary's task force on youth auicide. Washington, DC: USDHHS.

HEALTH EDUCATION RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPETENCY ADDRESSED

Responsibility VII--Communicating Health and Health Education Needs, Concerns, and Resources

Competency A- Interpret concepts, purposes, and theories of health education.

Sub-competency 3--Describe major responsibilities of the health educator in the practice of health education.

Kay Woodiel Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance at Eastern Michigan University. Lisa Angermeier-Howard, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Suzanne Hobson, Ed.D. is the Counseling Clinic Coordinator at Eastern Michigan University. Address all correspondence to Kay Woodiel, Ph.D., East Michigan University, Porter 319 C, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, PHONE: [phone] x 2728, FAX: [phone], E-MAIL: [e-mail].