Subject: important: April mtg minutes & REMINDER of tomorrow's SSC mtg
From: "Reis, Elizabeth"
Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 16:41:53 -0700
To: "SAFE SCHOOLS: post to main list" , "SAFE SCHOOLS: post to \"IMPORTANT NEWS\" list"

[:ssc338:] important: April mtg minutes & REMINDER of tomorrow's SSC mtg

Dear Safe Schools Coalition members and friends:

REMINDER: Tomorrow's Safe Schools Coalition mtg (3-5pm, Pacific -- 4-6 Mountain -- 5-7 Central -- 6-8pm Eastern) is a combination face-to-face meeting in Seattle and conference-call anywhere. If you plan to call in and need a reminder of the call-in # please let us know (or if you plan to attend in person and need directions or parking info) -- or if you would like to have the agenda in advance: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/contact/?id=7

HELP NEEDED items are in RED, below.

Minutes 4/17/07, 3-5 p.m. PDT

Safe Schools Coalition Meeting

Chairing: Frieda Takamura; Recording: Kathy Kaminski

  1. INTROS … welcome new faces/voices 
  2. Gabi Clayton, SSC Webspinner, PFLAG Olympia; Beth Reis, Public Health-Seattle-King County; Frieda Takamura, Washington Education Association; Kristina Armenakis, Lambert House, SSC & AFSC Speakers Bureau Coordinator; Lisa Love, Seattle Public Schools; Kathy Kaminski; Sarah Larson

(2)     WA STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE & CYBERBULLYING BILL

(3)     MEMBERSHIP – Piper, Tad  
a)      Renewals: LGBTQ Community Center and Families United Against Hate and Western WA Fellowship of Reconciliation
b)      New org member applications: Youth Suicide Prevention Program - unanimously welcomed!!
c)      If your org has not renewed yet for 2007 NOW IS THE TIME. Go to http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/members_join-renew.html

(4)     WA DOH ADOLESCENT HEALTH CONFERENCE – Tracy

(5)  LISTSERVE REPORT- Beth Reis

(6)     WEB SITE REPORT – Gabi
a)      In 2006, the web site had 1.7 million hits by 314 K visitors from 172 countries, including educators in remote, conservative places from Yemen to Cuba, Ecuador to Iraq, Cambodia to Fiji.

b)      New on the site: “The Importance of Listing So-Called ‘Protected Classes’ in Anti-Bullying Laws and Policies”
c)      It’s time to update the History on the “About Us” Page.  The last post is from 2001.  We could add a few awards that the coalition has received in the past few years.  Gabi will scan old minutes and update the page with current information.

d)      Should we look a more interactive, wiki-like page, that members would be able to put posts on the website?  It’s free.  We could change the password each year so that people would have to renew membership to post.  Gabi will look into the options for this and report back.

(2)     INTERVENTION Kristina
a)      Heidi: We are Receiving about one intervention a month. We have recently added Amy Durning to our team. HELP NEEDED: We still need Intervention Specialist volunteers. More below at the end of the agenda! Recent interventions include:

ˇ       Feb: Clark County: gay middle school student, looking for resources, school supportive, but being harassed  --connected to resources

(1)     RESEARCH ISSUES – Chris
a)      YRBS analysis project- Chris is gathering data and will report back.
b)      Report on the “LGBT Youth and School: Bridging Research and Policy” gathering -  The gathering, hosted by GLSEN and University of Illinois-Chicago, was held to coincide with the American Educational Research Association conference.  Stacy Horn, at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Joe Kosciew, GLSEN, and Stephen Russell, University of AZ, organized the conference.  Participants included researchers and people who use research in court (ACLU, LL), policy makers (staff for Legislator ), and practitioner groups who use research in our work (COLAGE, IL Safe Schools Alliance, Safe Schools Coalition).  Just a few research projects highlighted were (pardon Beth's sketchy notes that may have gotten things slightly oversimplified or discombobulated) …

i)      Stephen Russell (University of AZ) is conducting research on how difference in constructed in schools. Also, analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to vis a vis adolescent sexual orientation, health risk, and the development of competence.  His research is showing that students who report that teachers intervene in GLBT harassment or where there is a GSA in their school, report feeling safer than when there isn’t any intervention or GSA present.

(9)     SEATTLE PRIDE (June 24th, 2007)– Lisa Love

(10)    SSC @ OTHER TOWNS’ PRIDE EVENTS – Beth

(11)    SPEAKERS BUREAU – Kristina
a)      Recent workshops & tabling- 190 people were trained this month.  Trainings included the WA Journalism Education Association Conference, Beaver Lake Middle School, Sequoyah Middle School training, and Thomas Jefferson High School.

(12)    LAUGH OUT LOUD – Beth
a)      SAVE THE DATES for June 26 and Sept 25, the next 2 Laugh OUT Loud Comedy Underground events for Safe Schools Coalition.  We will sell tickets ahead of time and we will have tickets at the May SSC meeting.

b)      Thank you in advance to Kathy, Rachel, Sheri, Tracy.

(13)      DOES SSC want to (could we?) get into the business of endorsing candidates? – Beth

(14)     AFSC to Honor Safe Schools Coalition with Award-  Beth, Joyful

(15)     WEA to HONOR SAFE SCHOOLS COALITION WITH AWARD- Beth, Frieda                           
        2007 WEA Human and Civil Rights Award in Community Service has been awarded to the coalition.  What would be an appropriate time to accept the award?  Could the WEA present the award at the comedy night?  The other alternative would be to ask the PRIDE committee to ask if we could do the awarding on the stage after the parade.  The group decided that the comedy night might be a more captive audience.  We will ask WEA if the comedy night would work.

(16)     FAMILY PRIDE’S FAMILY DRAWING CONTEST (Prizes!)- Beth
        Now YOU can vote for the WINNER. Go to http://www.familypride.org/contest/ NOTE: Voting ends May 15!!!
(17)     ECHOES AND REFLECTIONS A NEW MULTIMEDIA CURRICULUM ON THE HOLOCAUST- Beth-
        New from the ADL: http://www.echoesandreflections.org/
(18)     Sponsoring OUT IN Tacoma- July 14th at Wright Park.  Do we want to be a sponsor?  It is $250 to sponsor the event or $50 for a quarter page advertisement.  We decided to do the advertisement ($50).  Thanks to Gabi who agreed to design the ad!

(19)     HIGHER ED Project -  Frieda and Beth met with Vong Ratts, at Seattle University, who is on SU’s LGBTQ advocacy team, who does training on campus on homophobia and LGBT issues.  Beth also met with Shannon Sullivan at IL Safe Schools Alliance about the “P Project”.  Their advisory board includes university faculty.  They surveyed university faculty at colleges of education and sent letters to all of the deans of all the schools encouraging them to support their faculty's participation in the survey.  They asked, among other things, if any faculty had LGBT issues included in their curriculum. They will share their findings and the tool itself with us. They plan to use the data to encourage all schools to make the syllabi of diversity courses inclusive of sexual diversity and to inform events they are doing with faculty toward that end. Beth agreed to discuss the possibility of replicating the project first in WA and then nationally with Dr. Ratts and with contacts at Antioch; Frieda, with a contact at SCCC; Gabi, with a contact at Evergreen.  First step, later this year: pull together an advisory committee with deans/faculty from Schools of Education to begin to institutionalize this work.

(20) Fruit Bowl Awards - June 2nd, 6-10pm at the Fisher Pavilion, Seattle Center- This the theme is “It’s About Time: Honor our Past, Celebrate our Present, Build our Future. They are asking for pictures and memorabilia for the Seattle LGBT history display.  They are also asking organizations to sponsor a table of 10.  For more information contact Eden at 206-794-1967 or edenem@msn.com.

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UPCOMING MEETINGS … contact the chair if you have agenda items to suggest or if you need instructions about attending (in person) or calling in (by conference call)

All are welcome- you do NOT need to be a Coalition member to attend.

May 15, 3-5 pm. Beth chairs and Chris records
Beth: 206-296-4970;
elizabeth.reis@metrokc.gov 
Chris: 206-723-1818;
chrisbeahler@yahoo.com

June 19, 2-4 pm. Marsha chairs and Penny records -- PLEASE NOTE SUMMER HOURS
Marsha: 206-601-8942; mbotzer@botzerconsulting.com
Penny: 425-487-2813; holdyrhorses@verizon.net

July 17, 2-4 pm. Frieda chairs and Kathy records -- PLEASE NOTE SUMMER HOURS
Frieda: 253-765-7062; ftakamura@washingtonea.org
Kathy: 206-767-0760, 847-421-7009;
kathykaminski@yahoo.com
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* HELP NEEDED: Intervention volunteers should be Washington residents [Intervention is the one service of the Coalition that is limited geographically – all other services are available anywhere] with a background in education or social services (retired or currently working); people of color, transgender individuals and gender queer individuals are encouraged to apply.

The Intervention Team responds to crisis requests from students, family members and educators experiencing anti-LGBT harassment or violence at school. An Intervention Specialist will listen and problem solve and then might, for instance, meet with someone's principal or superintendent with the caller or for them. They might help them come out to their family so they can talk with them about the bullying. They might sit with a student while they made a police report if they were afraid to do that alone. They might refer them to local resources for ongoing monitoring of the harassment situation and support.

It's a chance to make the world a better place one person at a time, to help one child finish school who might otherwise have dropped out. To help people feel powerful enough to avoid escalating the violence or attempting suicide. It's a way to make a real difference. To volunteer contact Heidi: mailto:hrettkebischoff@hotmail.com or (206) 849-5513.





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About Safe Schools Coalition


The Safe Schools Coalition is a public-private partnership of 80+ organizations (government agencies, schools, community agencies, churches, youth/student groups, gay/lesbian groups, human rights groups) and 400+ individuals working to help schools become safe places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach, and where every child can learn, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. 

Safe Schools' website: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org

Got a problem at school with anti-gay harassment?
In Washington State:
1-877-SAFE-SAFE
(1-877-723-3723) 24 hours a day - the phone line is answered at the Sexual Assault Hotline and they will have a Safe Schools Coalition Intervention Specialist volunteer get back to you within 24 hours. Or contact us at Intervention

For non-emergencies:
Questions
Speakers’ Bureau (student/community workshops, professional training)
Membership
Publications and Listserve
Website
For donations: "Safe Schools Coalition" c/o Lifelong AIDS Alliance, 1002 E Seneca, Seattle, WA 98122-4203 (or call 206-957-1621)

Co-Chairs:
Frieda Takamura, Washington Education Association, 253-765-7062
Beth Reis, Public Health - Seattle & King County, 206-296-4970
Marsha Botzer, Ingersoll Gender Center and The Task Force, 206-601-8942
Listserv Managers:
Beth Reis, for action items, resources, jobs and events messages
Chris Beahler, for news messages 
Gabi Clayton, for legislative and fundraising messages 
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