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" |
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
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 –
This legislative session the Cyberbullying bill, the Healthy Youth Act, and the Domestic Partnership bill all passed! We expect that Senator Ed Murray will include funding in the budget to study how effective the bullying bill is.
(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
Tracy is representing the coalition on the planning group. The conference will be in the fall.
(5) LISTSERVE REPORT- Beth Reis
a) Welcome to new subscribers from Bellingham, Bremerton, Issaquah, Mount Vernon, Seattle, Sammamish, Vancouver, CA, DC, IL, OH, OR, PA, NE, NY, and WI
(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) Feb: King County: lesbian high school student, harassment in and out of school, Mom reported to police. Harassment continued school not willing to make addt'l report. School contacted and willing to revisit course of action (Initial referral to SSC came thru Governor's office!!!)
2) Mar: King County Middle School--female student and ongoing harassment and bullying, parents meeting with school re; pattern and plan of action---strategizing with mom
B) Kristina: The poster is done and looks great! We should be able to get the pdf of the poster soon. WEA will pay for the printing of the poster and Frieda will get estimates. If WEA does the distribution, they will not be able to print as many. Instead, the Rainier grant can pay for the printing and WEA will pay for the distribution because WEA has distribution system in place. Frieda will still get estimates from the printer and check to see if we can use the same printer. Kristina will send the greeting cards and posters to Gabi, who will put them on Café Press for people to order. The first round of distribution should go to Middle and High School, Counselors, Nurses, Librarians, and Health Teachers. Then if there is still money left, send to elementary schools. Piper will get a list of school social workers to Frieda to add to their distribution list. We might try to get a list of school psychologists to send to. We will likely do a mailing in the Spring and then in the Fall. This will help the costs for WEA.
(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.
ii) Shannon Sullivan (Illinois Safe Schools Alliance) has been doing impact evaluation research showing the efficacy of their teacher training.
iii) Carolyn Laub (GSA Network) shared that there are model administrative regulations from San Francisco schools that are trans specific. This will be available to post on our website. Also, the GSA network helps high school students to collect data on their own schools' bullying status and then, through a partnership with University of Arizona, college students do the data entry and analysis and send it back to the high school for the students to use. It would be great if we (SSC) could have a relationship like this with a University. University folks, anybody interested in a similar partnership with SSC to help high school GSA's gather and then utilize their own schools' data?
iv) Stacy Horn (University of Illinois-Chicago) Studying adolescents' attitudes about gender norms and sexual orientation -- interactions between homophobia and relational aggression and violence. What makes one peer group more homophobic and another more anti-homophobic? And studying heterosexual students attitudes and norms and children/adolescents perceptions of their own rights and parent perception of LGBT youth rights
v) Ian Macgillivray (James Madison University) is the author of Sexual Orientation and School Policy: A Practical Guide for Teachers, Administrators, and Community Activists and Gay-Straight Alliances: A Handbook for Students, Educators, and Parents and is currently putting finishing touches on a new book on GSAs due out soon - watch this space!
vi) Joe Kosciew (GLSEN) Gathering research on states that have generic anti-bullying laws, showing that they make no difference in safety when they fail to list prohibited forms of bias-based harassment.
vii) Alan Horowitz (St. Paul public schools) has research shows that their staff development efforts continue to have an impact 2 years after the staff training.
viii) Lance McCready (University of Toronto, Teacher Education Program) is researching the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality and how they have an impact on teaching and learning in inner-city schools… with a focus on "making space" for diverse masculinities in urban education and how the experiences of gay and gender non-conforming Black male students reframe the “troubles” Black males face in urban high schools.
(9) SEATTLE PRIDE (June 24th, 2007)– Lisa Love
Lisa can arrange the yellow school bus and make arrangements with SOAP Committee. HELP NEEDED: We will need someone to volunteer to get food from Costco and bring it to the bus. We also need volunteers to ride the bus and be the “bus mom”. Volunteers are also needed to decorate the bus. There are prizes this year!! If you are interested in helping out or would like to join the bus in the parade, please contact Lisa at llove@seattleschools.org or 206-252-0982.
Lisa and Kristina will coordinate so that we can be paired next to other LGBT youth organizations like Lambert House and MPowerment. Any member org that would like to hang their banner on the bus is welcome to. The SSC banner will be on the front, but the rest of the bus is open. Lisa will order multi-color pencils with the website printed on them to pass out during the parade.
(10) SSC @ OTHER TOWNS’ PRIDE EVENTS – Beth
Anyone from other towns, who would like to do a SSC contingent in their local parade is welcome to borrow the banner as long as it’s not on June 24th. If anyone would like to announce to the list to invite others to join them we will do that.. We would encourage people to do the Yellow School Bus if possible. Olympia’s Pride is on June 17th. The website is www.capitolcitypride.net if anyone is interested in organizing a contingent for the Olympia Pride parade.
(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.
AFSC panels reached 230 people including Ingram High School, Planned Parenthood, Roosevelt High School, Seattle Public Theater, and Vashon Island High School.
b) Upcoming workshops & tabling needs- Kristina is planning training for MLK Vista Members at Solid Ground and helping Kari put together Safe Zones training. She is going to Wenatchee in a couple of weeks to help a school that is doing their first Day of Silence. She also just received a request from the Olympic Peninsula to do training for school staff.
c) AFSC bowling party this Sunday at West Seattle Bowl for potential panelists and speakers. Any youth interested in finding out more, please join us.
d) 4 new AFSC panelists were trained this month. There will be a SSC training-of-trainers this summer.
e) The coalition has copies of We Are GLBTQ, a film about LGBT youth in foster care and other out of home settings, if anyone would like to use them with training. Beth reports that it is the best training film about LGBT youth she has seen in a long time. It’s not created for schools, but for all folks who work in the foster care system. Evonne Hedgepeth, a consultant to the State, who produced and directed it, is available for training and is reachable at www.lifespaneducation.com.
f) Help Needed: Kristina needs videos of queer youth and queer college students talking about their experiences of being LGBT.
(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
Lisa Stuebing would like SSC’s endorsement in her candidacy for Seattle school board. We have not endorsed a candidate before; we decided we can't now either. We would lose the ability to be under LifeLong’s fiscal sponsorship. Besides, this is what SEAMEC [www.seamec.org] does and we do have input opportunities to help SEAMEC identify questions to ask candidates.
(14) AFSC to Honor Safe Schools Coalition with Award- Beth, Joyful
On May 3rd- Kristina was asked to accept it. Frieda and Beth will also be there. The AFSC awards/benefit will be at the At Shilshole Bay Beach Club. There will be a reading from People’s History of the US and Lt. Watada will be a guest as well. It is $65 to go. NOTE 5/14/07: Kristina did a beautiful job of accepting the award, with Jerry Painter, Linda and Tom Baker, Frieda Takamura and Beth Reis there to represent the Coalition as well. THANK you AFSC -- your colleagues in coalition were so moved by the gesture!
(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
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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
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