Following a homophobic incident of a Pride flag being vandalized within the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, the district has released plans on making improvements to support LGBQT+ students.
A viral video on TikTok last month showed students from Paso Robles High School defecating on a pride flag taken from a teacher’s classroom.
In response, students led a forum at Paso Robles High School discussing LGBTQ+ issues.
Superintendent Curt Dubost was in attendance to hear their concerns.
“It was a difficult process at first," Dubost said. "It certainly wasn’t pleasant to sit through that forum in its entirety and listen to, I have to say, deserved criticism about how I handled the original incident. But out of it has come to some really good dialogue.”
Out of that dialogue, Dubost sent a letter to students and parents laying out steps to improve and support LGBTQ+ students.
Part of the plan includes bystander bullying training, safe changing rooms, and restrooms for transgender students, as well as a commitment to take disciplinary action regarding hateful and homophobic incidents on campus.
“It’s going to be ongoing, the safety issues have to be dealt with immediately," Dubost said. "The devil is in the details, and making sure that we pull this off and move forward in a productive way.”
The district has created a task force of students, teachers, administrators, and regional stakeholders such as the GALA Pride and Diversity center to get feedback on LGBTQ+ issues, and to monitor the progress of improvements.
Michelle Call is the executive director of the GALA Pride and Diversity Center in San Luis Obispo.
“It feels like a very collaborative effort to come up with these goals, and I am very excited to see how they move forward with them," Dubost said. "So I think this is a great first step, now we need to see how it goes forward.”
The letter reads as follows:
We applaud our Paso Robles High School students who participated in the recent “Coming Out Against Hate” community forum and recognize their leadership and courage in speaking out for a more inclusive school environment. We understand that LGBTQ+ students face enormous social and emotional pressures, and are more likely to experience anxiety, stress, depression, and suicidal thoughts. We care about each and every one of our students and we will not compromise on the health, welfare, and safety of any student. In this current environment, we will especially dedicate our efforts to ensuring the health, welfare, and safety of our LGBTQ+ students.
In keeping with the PRJUSD’s promise of continuous improvement, we commit to a comprehensive approach aligned to the required legal protections to address the needs of our LGBTQ+ students. All students need and deserve schools to be safe places.
We plan to achieve the following goals by the end of the school year while working closely with students, staff, and regional stakeholders:
Creation of a PRHS Task Force including student representatives, teachers, regional stakeholders, and administrators, to provide feedback on district progress and goals. (Title IX)
Access to safe changing areas and restrooms for transgender students with greater communication and education to students and the community. (AB 1266)
Training for school staff on the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to make schools safe and supportive for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students. (BP 5145.9)
Bystander training to eliminate bullying on campus. (AB 2291)
Education of students, staff, and the community on the rights of our LBGTQ+ students on our school sites (BP 5145.9)
Commitment to a consistent disciplinary system regarding hateful actions and increased communication among our students and community (BP 5145.3 and BP 5131.2)
Curricular audit of the teaching of marginalized groups in our history/social studies curriculum. (Senate Bill 48/ FAIR ACT: Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act, California Healthy Youth Act, and SB 71), and if found inadequate will address immediately.
A fully developed, and communicated, tiered system of support for social-emotional needs for our LBGTQ+ students (BP 5145.9)
We are thankful for this opportunity to work with our students, staff, parents, and stakeholders with the goal of creating a supportive and safe school setting for all our students.
Curt Dubost, Superintendent
Jen Gaviola, Deputy Superintendent
Anthony Overton, Principal
