By Guest contributor, Aug 5, 2019 for the Human Rights Campaign
Post submitted by Kimmie Fink, Welcoming Schools consultant
As educators head back to school, it’s important to remember they will be serving not just a classroom full of new students, but also families. The Family Equality Council estimates that between 2 million and 3.7 million children under the age of 18 have an LGBTQ parent -- a group that has typically been underserved, if not sometimes ignored, in school settings.
The positive impact of making schools inclusive places for all families can’t be underestimated. When students have their unique family structures represented in school curriculum -- through books, images and lessons -- it leads to a feeling of connectedness in school, improves academic performance and creates an environment of emotional safety.
To assist educators in making their classrooms and schools inclusive of LGBTQ families as they prepare for students who will soon be heading back to school, HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools is suggesting these seven positive steps to implement this fall:
1. Use inclusive language on all forms. As educators prepare folders to go home the first day, they should ensure that handbooks, forms and other pieces of communication are inclusive of all family structures by using language such as “families and caring adults” instead of “moms and dads.”
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