From students to district administrators, everyone has a role to play in creating an inclusive school climate. Proper training gives all school community members a thorough understanding of the part they play in making their school an environment that welcomes all students.

Conduct student training once a year, including age-appropriate discussion of the following:

• The importance of diversity (including nonconformity with gender norms) in the student body;

• Behaviors that constitute bullying;

• The negative impact of bullying;

• How students should respond to bullying;

• How teachers should respond to bullying;

• Disciplinary consequences for students who bully their peers; and

• The process for reporting bullying.

• Conduct teacher and administrator training once a year, including the following topics in addition to those above:

• Root causes of bullying;

• Steps to foster an inclusive education environment for all students— specifically students who don’t conform to gender

• norms or who might be perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender;

• Review of the school’s bullying policy, emphasizing staff’s responsibility to respond to all bullying; and

• Disciplinary consequences for school staff who engage in or ignore bullying.

 

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Teaching Tolerance’s guide, Speak Up at School, gives both educators and students practical strategies for speaking up against biased speech.