Faced with a recent Supreme Court decision holding schools liable for student harassment of classmates, educators across the country are taking steps to protect gay and lesbian students and to prevent costly lawsuits.
Lawyers are advising superintendents about their legal responsibilities, school board members are reviewing their policies and principals are training teachers on how to react to harassment against gays.
"More school systems are making it clear that all students deserve a hassle-free education," said Gary Marx, president of the Center for Public Outreach, a consulting firm that works with educators across the nation. The trend is particularly notable in California, in part because of a new state law banning anti-gay discrimination.
Marx said districts are not only educating teachers and trustees but are disciplining students more severely than before when they harass their classmates.
Principals consistently say anti-gay harassment is not a serious problem at their schools. But students tell of being taunted and threatened, getting into fights and trying to hide their identities.
"Teenage years are so hard, and they're even harder if you are gay," said Gustavo Soc, who graduated from Los Angeles High School in June.
For that reason, support groups are popping up on high school campuses across the nation, often drawing opposition and lawsuits.
Superintendents don't want to face a controversy like the one in Orange County last year, when trustees from the Orange Unified School District voted to bar a Gay-Straight Alliance club from meeting at El Modena High School.
In response, two students--with the backing of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund--filed a federal lawsuit saying their civil rights were violated. Last week, trustees voted to allow the club to meet on campus, provided that the members do not explicitly discuss sex.
Luis Torres, co-chairman of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network of Orange County, said the local battle woke up districts throughout the state and nation.
"A lot of districts know they need . . . to have policies to protect students. However, they are often reluctant because of the controversial nature that surrounds sexual orientation." Now, he said, "maybe the districts will do something strictly out of liability . . . at the same time they can do it because they care."
