The GLSEN Lunchbox Training Program
Jun 30, 2001
The GLSEN Lunchbox Training Program is right for your chapter if your priorities include providing schools/school districts with comprehensive training for ending bias against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. Whether your chapter already has a training program in place or it’s considering starting one, the GLSEN Lunchbox Training will allow you to expand your community reach, increase your volunteer base, raise your chapter’s visibility, and provide constituent support at the school level.
Click on DOWNLOAD PDF for the GLSEN Lunchbox Training Program Action Packet
Act fast, because only a limited number of GLSEN Lunchbox Training Weekends can be organized each year, and you’ll want your chapter to host one of them! Call or email a Public Policy staff person or return the "Application to Host a GLSEN Lunchbox Training Weekend."
The Problem
According to GLSEN’s 2001 National School Climate Survey:
< UL> 65% of LGBT students report being sexually harassed;
More than 4 in 10 reported physical harassment;
21% of LGBT students reported experiencing physical assault;
84.3% report frequently or often hearing comments such as "faggot" or "dyke;"
Nine out of 10 transgender students report to class feeling afraid for their safety.
81.8% of LGBT students report that faculty or staff never intervened or intervened only some of the time when homophobic remarks were made.
According to GLSEN’s 1998 Back to School Report Card, less than 1 in 4 school districts provide training for staff on making schools safe for LGBT students.
Only a small handful of school districts provide programming to support LGBT students – in places like Minneapolis, Boston, Madison, San Francisco and Oakland. The rest of the nation’s school districts typically ignore the problem of anti-LGBT bias, or believe it doesn’t exist.
A Solution: Teacher and Staff Training
Teachers and school staff that receive training on making schools safe for LGBT students have the basic awareness and skills to intervene when they witness harassment, and they take advantage of “teachable moments.” They make their classrooms, hallways and locker rooms safer for all of their students. In fact, according to the National School Climate Survey, students who said they had even just one supportive faculty or staff were more likely to feel they belonged in their school than those who did not (35.1% vs. 25.6%).
Parents Want Teacher Training
Four out of five parents – 80% - favor teacher sensitivity trainings on tolerance that include instruction on dealing with anti-LGBT harassment in schools, according to a national survey of 1,000 parents of 5-18 year olds. Just 15% of parents oppose teacher training. Expanding anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies to protect all students in schools, including LGBT students was the only measure more popular with parents (83% - 12%). There is widespread support for teacher training, yet most school districts don’t provide any training on making schools safe for LGBT students. Unfortunately, there has traditionally been inconsistency among chapters on making training a priority and in the implementation processes, with training often being delivered in an unplanned and unmonitored fashion.
What You Can Do About It
Host a GLSEN Lunchbox Training Program, and in six months your chapter will have an operational school staff training program, a team of people to lead the program, and a blueprint to get you where you want to go.
If training teachers and school staff is the solution to anti-LGBT bias in schools your chapter has chosen to focus on, then this training is for you. Contact a Public Policy staff person today about hosting a GLSEN Lunchbox Training Weekend.
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