RC006 School's Out! Supporting LGBTQ2+ Students in Our Schools

Mike Richard is a Sexual Health Educator and Literacy Mentor for the province of New Brunswick. He is highly recognized throughout New Brunswick for his work in helping to rewrite the provincial curriculum in health. Mike earned his undergraduate degree from St. Thomas University and recently received his Master's degree in Education from the University of New Brunswick.

Mike joins us today to discuss the importance of accepting and supporting LGBTQ2+ students in our schools and classrooms. He discusses the most common challenges many day schools and boarding schools face throughout Canada and the US with helping sexual minorities feel safe, respected and included in the school setting. We discuss how kindness and education can be the first step toward achieving acceptance and inclusion and the importance of educating parents and students on the school's inclusion policies and action plans. We also discuss how educational institutions should address concerns related to bathroom and shower facilities, sports and physical education as well as living quarters for students in boarding schools.

"Give them an arena to speak. Give them an arena to tell you what they want and what they are looking for." - Mike Richard

This week on the Roll Call Podcast:

• The greatest challenge many schools face when creating a safe and respected education environment for LGBTQ2+ students
• The balancing act between acknowledging prejudices in our schools and enforcing inclusion policies
• Getting clear on your inclusion policies and action steps
• Why kindness and education is the first step toward acceptance and inclusion
• The importance of educating parents as well as students on your inclusion policies and guidelines
• Understanding the LGBTQ2+ acronym and the terminology to avoid
• How to create a classroom environment rooted in acceptance, understanding, and inclusion
• How to have hard conversations with students about their sexual identity and how they want to be identified
• The importance of modeling acceptance in the classroom
• The number of students that identify themselves as a sexual minority
• Universal strategies schools can use to create a more inclusive environment
• Using fluid dorms and bathroom facilities in boarding schools
• Addressing sports and physical education concerns for transgender students
• Determining whether to tell other parents about a student's sexual identity in your school
• The future of gay/straight alliances and celebrating sexual minority days

This episode is sponsored by REACH Boarding

This episode is sponsored by REACH Boarding, an award-winning, feature-rich boarding school management tool used by over 400 schools in five continents to manage risk, increase efficiency, and improve communication in boarding school management.

To learn more about REACH Boarding, its features and integrations, visit www.reachboarding.com

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