Msg fwd by:
The Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS, PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020
Email to:saratogany@aol.com

"The Actual or Perceived GLBT Student Protection Project"
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This message has been distributed as a free informational service for the expressed interest of non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Boston Herald, January 25, 2000
1 Herald Square, Boston, MA, 02106-2096
(Fax 617-542-1315 ) (E-MAIL:letterstoeditor@bostonherald.com )
( http://www.bostonherald.com )

Schools to form tolerance program for gay students

by Ed Hayward

Boston's public high schools will form "gay-straight alliances'' as required by state law with the help of $40,000 in funding from the Department of Education, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced yesterday.

Under the Safe Schools Project, the city's high schools will receive staff and financial support to ensure gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students attend schools free of harassment.

"The No. 1 challenge we face as a city is to ensure a quality education so that no one - not one student - gets left behind,'' Menino said at an event at Boston High School.

"I'm proud that this program will help give every student - gay or straight - access to the tools they need,'' the mayor added.

With another $5,000 from the city, the $45,000 will fund a coordinator, train students and staff and provide help for 15 high schools to form gay-straight alliances, which are required by law.

A task force that's been working on the issue for several months will determine which schools require the most help. GSAs already exist in some form at Boston Latin School, Madison Park High School, Boston Arts Academy and Boston High School.

Officials cited responses to the 1997 state youth risk survey, in which 22 percent of gay, lesbian and bisexual students reported they skipped school because of safety concerns. Just 4 percent of their heterosexual peers did the same.

Federal statistics estimate that 28 percent of gay and lesbian youths drop out because they don't feel comfortable in school.

One of the speakers at the announcement was Cassandra Cruikshank, a bisexual 16-year-old junior at Boston Arts Academy, who said even though her school is viewed as highly tolerant, she doesn't advertise her sexuality.

"I've been pretty lucky,'' said Cruikshank. "I haven't had much trouble. I think it's because I don't run around screaming it from the top of my lungs. But I don't try to hide it either.''

From: SARATOGANY@aol.com
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 19:45:34 EST
Subject: Boston SD launches Safe Schools Program to support gay students
To: SARATOGANY@aol.com, bdm3g@gateway.net

Msg fwd by:
The Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS, PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020
Email to: saratogany@aol.com

"The Actual or Perceived GLBT Student Protection Project"
=========================================================
This message has been distributed as a free informational service for the expressed interest of non-profit research and educational purposes only.

Boston Globe, January 25, 2000
Box 2378, Boston, MA, 02107
(Fax 617-929-2098 ) (E-MAIL: letter@globe.com )
( http://www.boston.com/globe )

Program Supports Gay Students

Boston public schools launched a citywide program yesterday, The Safe Schools Project, to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students in the school system. Funded by a $40,000 grant from the state Department of Education and an additional $5,000 from Boston public schools, the program will hire staff and begin training programs to support gay/straight alliances for students. The program is only the second of its kind statewide. The city of Springfield launched the first program.

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