6 Steps for Creating Safe School Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Students

The Need for Safe Spaces For LGBTQIA+ Students

The Critical Need for Safe Spaces

The statistics tell a sobering story: LGBTQIA+ students face twice the rate of harassment compared to their peers, including verbal abuse and physical intimidation. According to Mental Health America, these students are four times more likely to attempt suicide. As bullying incidents continue to rise in schools nationwide, LGBTQIA+ students face unique challenges that significantly impact both their educational outcomes and mental wellbeing.

Recent policy changes have further complicated the landscape. The reinterpretation of Title IX—the law protecting students from sexual discrimination in federally funded schools—no longer explicitly protects transgender students. This policy gap concerns parents and allies who expect government officials to safeguard all vulnerable student populations.

1. Teach Kindness

There are many great resources for teaching the value of kindness, and it’s a key component of social-emotional learning curriculums. School leaders know that making kindness an integral part of a school’s culture goes beyond putting the word on the wall—it involves weaving it into your school’s mission, continually identifying it in the school community, and being sure students are empowered and supported to enact it in and outside the classroom.

2. Implement Anti-Bullying Policies

Setting up systemic measures that address curtailing, re-channeling, and reducing bullying sets the tone. It signals to students and teachers alike that your school actively discourages bullying and creates protocols to follow when students engage in bullying. This also avoids leaving teachers to pursue ad-hoc measures.

3. Embrace Visibility & Representation

Being sure LGBTQIA+ people are visible and represented in your school means elevating their voices. Schools have done this by bringing in LGBTQIA+ guest speakers or highlighting LGBTQIA+ historical figures in the classroom. Schools have also participated in Pride Month, National Coming Out Day, Transgender Day of Visibility, and Transgender Day of Remembrance or created a GSA (Gender & Sexuality Alliance).

4. Ensure School Facilities Are Safe

Your school can ensure your LGBTQIA+ students are safe in your building. It’s a good idea to have non-gendered bathroom options for non-binary students and decisive policies that ensure LGBTQIA+ students can use school bathrooms, lockers, and changing rooms without fear or anxiety.

5. Use Language

Inclusive language includes addressing each student by their chosen name and correct pronouns. It includes saying “your parents” rather than “your mom and dad.” It’s a collection of language choices that signify “I acknowledge the diversity of human experience.”

6. Engage in Diversity

Building intentionally diverse schools take dedication. It requires constantly challenging one’s focal point and seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. Embracing diversity in charter schools allows all students to benefit from the educational programs your charter school offers, undistracted by microaggressions, bullying, or unintentional signals that make a child feel like an outsider. Embracing diversity also allows each student in your school to feel like they belong in your school. There are excellent trainers on this topic – educators with lived experience and academic and professional backgrounds in racial and gender diversity and social justice. These folks can deeply enrich your staff’s understanding and make your school a safer environment for LGBTQIA+ students.

Anti-Bullying Resources by State

California Department of Education: Bullying Prevention Training & Resources
Colorado Department of Education: Best Practices in Bullying Prevention and Intervention
Florida Department of Education: Bullying Prevention
Idaho Department of Education: Stop Bullying in Idaho
Iowa Department of Education: Anti-Bullying/Anti-Harassment
Kentucky Department of Education: Bullying and Harassment
Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools:
Maine Department of Education: Bullying Prevention
Mass.gov: Massachusetts law about bullying and cyberbullying
Minnesota Department of Education: Bullying Prevention and Help
Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education: Bullying
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction: Bullying Prevention
Ohio Department of Education: Anti-Bullying: Strategies and Resources for Educators
Pennsylvania Department of Education: Bullying Prevention
South Carolina Department of Education: Bullying
Tennesee Department of Education: Bullying & Harassment
Texas Education Agency: Coordinated School Health – Bullying and Cyberbullying
Virginia Department of Education: Bullying Prevention
Washington State Governor’s Office of Education Ombuds: School’s Role in Prevention of Bullying
Wisconsin Department of Public Education: A Comprehensive Approach to Bullying Prevention