Safe Schools Project

The Friedman Youth Project offers free training sessions on how to create safer schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students.  The ACLU-NC has trained over 5000 faculty and staff in schools throughout Northern California.

Friedman Youth Project staff work closely with the school to create a tailor-made session that addresses the school’s particular needs.  Trainings usually last 2-1/2 to 3 hours.  Sessions can also include a panel with one or two students who are gay, lesbian or bisexual (preferably students who have recently graduated from the school where the training takes place); a parent or guardian of one of the students; and an ACLU expert on harassment and equal access. 

The training session covers practical issues including name calling in classrooms and hallways, building support for a campus-wide approach to creating a safe environment for all students, and a school’s legal responsibility for creating a safe environment.  A comprehensive packet of materials is provided for each participant. 

The Friedman Youth Project handles all logistical planning, including creating a survey for faculty and staff to identify a school’s particular issues and needs, contacting the panelists, and preparing student panelists for the presentation and questions. 

This faculty and staff training is free to any school.  Priority is given to schools where the training is mandatory for all faculty and staff.

The ACLU-NC Friedman Youth Project is currently developing another training program addressing racial bias in school discipline and school policies.  Please contact us if you would like more information.