The Dignity for All Students Act Action Kit

Feb 26, 2003

The Dignity for All Students Act (A02634 & S01628), sponsored by Assembly Education Committee Chair Steve Sanders and Senator Tom Duane, would serve to protect children in public schools throughout New York State from harassment or discrimination, including such acts based on a person's actual or perceived race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Dignity for All Students Action Kit provides you with valuable tools to influence your legislator to support the Act, whether you’re a leader in an organization working on the Dignity for All Students Act or an individual who wants to make a difference.

For more information go to GLSEN’s Online Action Center and choose New York State. Thank you for supporting the Dignity for All Students Act!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Introduction
• The Dignity for All Students Coalition
• Lobby Day May 21, 2001
• How a Bill Becomes a Law in New York
• Lobby Visits
• Letters to Elected Officials (with sample)
• Letter-Writing Parties (with sample agenda)
• Phone Calls to Elected Officials (with sample script)
• Letters to the Editor (with sample)
• Guest Editorials (with sample)
• Frequently Asked Questions

Provided By The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. A proud member of the Dignity for All Students Coalition.

THE DIGNITY FOR ALL STUDENTS COALITION

The Dignity for All Students Coalition is a group of individuals and organizations that supports any meaningful measures that help protect students from bias-based harassment in school. We consider a measure meaningful if it contains, at a minimum, the following:

• A policy that specifically prohibits discrimination and harassment in public schools on the basis of actual or perceived race, national origin, ethnic group, religion, sexual orientation, gender, sex or physical or mental disability, with devices to insure that the policy will be implemented and enforced

• Training of administrators, teachers and students, on how to deal with diversity in schools, and address harassment and discrimination when they arise

• Documentation and data collection to discover just how prevalent the problem of harassment is in New York’s schools and where the needs are most profound

• Funding to implement the above principles in a way that avoids unfunded mandates for school districts

The Dignity for All Students Coalition Member Organizations (list in formation):

• American Association of University Women – New York State
• Anti-Defamation League, New York Regional Office
• Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
• ASPIRA
• Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council
• Citizen Action of New York State
• Coalition for Safer Schools of New York State
• Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (COLEGA)
• Council for Supervisors and Administrators (CSA)
• Disabled in Action (DIA)
• Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association
• Empire State Pride Agenda and Foundation
• Fairport, NY Educator’s Association (NYSUT affiliate)
• First Unitarian Church of Rochester – Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns Task Force
• Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
  • National office and the following Chapters:
  • Buffalo
  • Central NY
  • Hudson Valley North
  • Hudson Valley/Westchester
  • Ithaca, Long Island – East End, NY
  • Capital Region
  • NY Metro
  • Rochester chapters
• Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats (GLID)
• Gay Men of African Decent
• Generation Q
• Green Chimney’s Children’s Services
• Latino Commission on AIDS
• Learning Disabilities Association of New York State
• Lesbian and Gay Teachers Association
• The LOFT: The Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center, Westchester County
• Log Cabin Republicans (New York State and Long Island and New York City chapters)
• Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY)
• Metropolitan Community Church of New York
• National Association of Social Workers – New York State Chapter
• National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) – Greater New York Region
• NAACP – Saratoga County
• National Education Association (NEA) – New York
• National Organization of Women (NOW) - NYC
• New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA)
• New York City Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center
• New York Federation of School Administrators
• New York State United Teachers (NYSUT)
• Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) (Albany, Binghamton, Brooklyn, Buffalo/Niagara, Canton/St. Lawrence County, Chautauqua, Ithaca, Jamestown, Long Island, Mamaroneck/Westchester, New Paltz/Ulster County, New York City, Queens, River Head/East End, Schenectady County, Spring Valley/Rockland, Syracuse and Utica/Mohawk Valley chapters)
• Pride/Central New York
• Pride for Youth
• Puerto Rican Family Institute
• Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
• Safe Schools Coalition of Broome County
• Saratogians for Equality and Acceptance of Diversity (SEAD)
• Saratoga Youth Coalition
• Schenectady County Human Rights Commission – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns Committee
• School Administrators Association of New York State
• Senior Action in a Gay Environment (SAGE) - Queens
• Southern Tier AIDS Program
• State Assemblyman Steve Sanders
• State Senator Tom Duane
• Students and Teachers United for Diversity (Watkins Glen)
• United Federation of Teachers (UFT)
• Urban Justice Center
• Westchester Jewish Community Services/Center Lane