NEWSFLASH! Georgia will be the first state to implement a school based totally on sexual orientation and gender identity.
A first-of-its-kind private school in Georgia aimed at attracting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth and teachers is being established in Atlanta for students who feel bullied or not accepted in traditional schools.
Pride School Atlanta is a k-12 institution designed to be an alternative for LGBT students, though the school is open to any student who believes they’re not getting the support they need for “being different,” says Pride School founder Christian Zsilavetz.
“Kids have full permission to be themselves ? as well as educators. Where there’s no wondering, ‘Is this teacher going to be a person for me to be myself with?'” said Zsilavetz, who is transgender and a veteran teacher with nearly 25 years of experience.
“This is a place where they (students) can just open up and be the best person they can be.”
More details about ‘Pride School Atlanta’ below…
Tuition will be around $13,000, though Zsilavetz says financial assistance is available for students who need it.
It is part of a small but growing group of schools popping up nationally geared toward educating LGBT youth, who feel disenfranchised from public education. Pride School would be the first of its kind in the Southeast and, according to gay rights advocates, a significant development for the LGBT movement.
“There’s a number of kids who come from the South … migrating to places like New York and other cities because they feel like it’s more tolerant for them,” said Ross Murray, programs director, global and U.S. South, for gay rights group GLAAD.
“They should be able to stay in their homes, their communities. I think having a school like this in Atlanta … it means it’s much more regionally connected. If a student does need a place where they can be safe from bullying, from peers who want to harass or harm them, they’re not going to have to travel tons of distance to do that.”
The school will be modeled after the Harvey Milk school in New York City and other education centers across the country designed for, but not limited to, LGBT youth.
Zsilavetz, 45, who’s taught math and other subjects since 1992, says he never felt truly open or supported by administrators while teaching in public schools and wanted that to change. He wanted LGBT students and teachers to be able to openly discuss who they are in a school setting without fear.
“When (LGBT) kids can see you, when they know that they can come to you, they’re less likely to die (or be suicidal), for one,” Zsilavetz said.
“They’re less likely to get pregnant, when they don’t really want to get pregnant. They’re less likely to get into drugs and alcohol and into depression.”
After the bill was signed into law in 2010, the group investigated school district policies in Georgia to see which districts had LGBT-specific bullying-prevention policies. It found fewer than 30 percent did.
In light of high-profile suicides of bullied LGBT students in recent years, a number of school districts have adopted stricter anti-bullying policies. Cobb County was one of the first in Georgia to implement an anti-bullying, no-harassment policy that included sexual orientation and gender identity.
I have mixed feelings about this situation… if everyone should be INCLUDED, why should there be schools that separate those who feel EXCLUDED?? Especially on the basis of their sexual orientation… *sigh* I dunno.
It’s a different world these days, but I don’t think that kids who feel differently should be segregated from the general population.