BULLYING continued from p. 4
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August 30, 2018
how do we address this violence in a humane way?” “Staff and adults in general need the ability to look at students as people and be trained in dealing with the trauma that so many of these students are living with,” said Abena Bello, a client advocate at the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth. “What happened to this person [who bullies] for them to act this way? What’s happening at home? Is there abuse at home?” Latifah Blades of FIERCE cited the crisis in school safety. “There are officers what beat up kids and drag them through the hallway,” she said. Jason Morales, also of FIERCE, said that metal detectors are necessary due to gang violence in schools. Desmond, an 11-year old “drag kid” and founder of a house called Haus of Amazing (Desmondisamazing.com) who performed at the forum, said, “I want to show the world that kids can do drag and kids should always be themselves.” Jared Fox, the LGBTQ Liaison for the DOE, went over all the policies and procedures the schools have established to deal with bullying. “If you are bullied you can tell any teacher and the teacher has 24 hours to let the principal or Respect for All liaison put it in the online registry,” Fox said. He added that students or parents can also go directly to the 311 system to report incidents. He said students are entitled to a copy of the complaint reports. “The principal has five days to conduct an investigation,” Fox said. “And your parents do not have to be notified.” He praised the new chancellor for his commitment to dealing with LGBTQ and bullying issues and to the new structures being set up within the department. Fox talked about a brochure he developed explaining how to address bullying, but acknowledged there was no plan to get it into the hands of every single student in the school system. Bree, a FIERCE organizer, who had harrowing experiences in school for being gender non-conforming, said she was not made aware of her recourses when she was in high school. Fox said that if any transgender student is not being allowed to use the restroom corresponding to their gender identity, “Let me know and I will call the principal.” His email is jfox16@schools. nyc.gov. This week, Miranda Barbot, a spokesperson for the DOE, said, “We understand the impacts bullying can have on students’ social and emotional well-
being as well as their academic success, which is why we have invested significant resources to better serve students and families. We work to make resources available and well-known to all students and families, and at the start of every school year, schools are required to distribute Respect for All information to all students. Additionally, staff members are trained annually on reporting protocols, and will be trained on culturally responsive education in the coming years.” A Bullying Complaint Portal is being launched soon and a Bullying Complaint Coordinator has been hired to administer it. In addition to the contact information Fox provided, Barbot said that students and parents can report bullying via email at RespectforAll@schools.nyc. gov. Students who request a transfer due to bullying “will receive a transfer offer,” something that was not offered to Cedeno despite his family’s years of complaints about being bullied. A transfer might have averted the incident at his Bronx school last year that left Matthew McCree dead and Adrian Laboy injured. The city, Barbot noted, is providing $23 million to train all staff over the next two years in “anti-bias and culturally responsive education.” Three hundred schools are being targeted with funds to enhance school environments through “social-emotional supports,” training staff and students “on self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.” Despite all these procedures the DOE points to, Skye O’neal Adrian, a youth organizer with FIERCE, told the town hall, “The process from reporting an incident to when it gets to DOE remains unclear. Even though Jared says it is a seamless process, it doesn’t look that way right now. Young people just aren’t aware of the reporting system.” FIERCE, he said, is planning more town halls in the other boroughs. Details will be posted on the group’s Facebook page. With kids coming out at younger and younger ages, most school environments around the country are not prepared. Just this week, a nine-year boy who came out as gay at his Denver elementary school was subjected to kids telling him to kill himself. And he did. “It’s not enough to tell students that they will be accepted for who they are,” Chancellor Carranza wrote in Teen Vogue. “We must show them, in the literature we read, in the language we use, and in the way we invest our resources, that we are a deeply connected society made up of different voices and perspectives that all deserve to be seen, heard, and respected.” NYC Community Media