7/27/2019 FINAL Hesperia Letter to ACLU SoCal Press Release 8 15 2013

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Vicki Fox or Diana Rubio 213.977.5252August 15, 2013

Hesperia Unified School District Sets Example of Change to Improve SchoolClimate for LGBTQ Students

(Hesperia)Hesperia Unified School District Administrators sent a letter to the ACLUFoundation of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) and the law firm Nixon Peabodystating they are implementing concrete changes to improve the climate for LGBTQstudents in the district.

These important changes resulted after students in Sultana High Schools Gay-StraightAlliance (GSA) spoke out against verbal bullying and harassment they suffered fromteachers and administrators, censorship of the GSA, and gendered dress codes thatpromoted sex stereotypes. In March, the ACLU Foundation of Southern California andthe law firm of Nixon Peabody LLP sent a letter to the district explaining how its actionsviolated the law and demanding change.

We are very pleased the district took our allegations very seriously, said MelissaGoodman, senior staff attorney at the ACLU SoCal. They did a thorough investigationand are making concrete changes so LGBTQ students will be treated equally and will

feel accepted. Hesperia Unified School District has demonstrated that change ispossible and that districts can take real, simple steps to create a safe, welcoming andbias-free environment for all students. Unfortunately, we continue to hear complaintsfrom students throughout the Inland Empire that their schools are not welcoming toLGBTQ students. Were writing to all Inland Empire school districts to provideinformation and resources about their legal obligations to LGBTQ students in the hopethat other districts will make improvements proactively and replicate the model forchange Hesperia Unified School District provides. Schools should not wait until climateproblems get to such a boiling point that LGBTQ students have to call the ACLU.

By the end of last school year, the District made the following changes:

o students were permitted to wear gender nonconforming clothes to prom

o the GSA was allowed to have events previously prohibited such as screening thefilm Prayers for Bobby, an educational poster campaign about the harms anti-gayslurs cause, and participating in the annual Day of Silence

7/27/2019 FINAL Hesperia Letter to ACLU SoCal Press Release 8 15 2013

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o the school board adopted stronger discrimination, harassment, bullying, andcomplaint process policies

This school year, the following changes will be put in place:o Staff and students will be educated about new discrimination, bullying, and

complaint process policies

o Anti-bias training for teachers

o No restrictions on gender non-conforming attire for dances and yearbook photos

o No exclusions of same-sex couples from the yearbook

o New club-related policies and practices that reduce chances of censorship anddiscrimination and ensure the GSA will be treated the same as all other school

clubs

Superintendent David McLaughlin has shown a clear commitment to ensuring asupportive educational environment for Hesperias LGBTQ students, said NixonPeabody LLP attorney Ellen Papadakis. Were hopeful that the leadership in otherHigh Desert districts will prove equally willing to listen to LGBTQ students about theclimate in their own schools and to undertake any changes necessary to make sure thatall students are treated with dignity.

The ACLU SoCal is sending letters to all the school districts in the Inland Empireexplaining the resources the ACLU SoCals LGBTQ Student Rights Project has to offerand reminding them of their legal obligations to create a safe and bias-free environmentfor all students.

Im so happy LGBTQ students will be attending Sultana in the same building but withwhat I hope will be a completely different and positive environment, said Levi Johnston,who graduated this year. I feel proud that, by taking a stand, our GSA changed thingsfor the better for current and future LGBTQ students at Sultana.

Letter to IE Schools: http://www.aclusocal.org/letter-to-ie-schools/

Hesperia Responds to ACLU:http://www.aclusocal.org/hesperia-response-letter/

Click here for history of this issue: http://www.aclusocal.org/hesperia-hs-lgbtq-letter/

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