Supporting Equality

Superintendent Carvalho Turns His Back On LGBTQ+ Students

The Florida transplant ignores a lesson on the LAUSD’s long history of supporting LGBTQ+ students. Will the board hold him accountable?

“Whereas, School-dropout rates for LGBTQ students is up to triple the national rate of non-LGBTQ students, due to peer harassment and bullying;”

- LAUSD Resolution

The LAUSD’s new Superintendent must have experienced severe culture shock when he made his move from Florida to California. As a superintendent in Miami, Alberto M. Carvalho was used to operating in an environment where the law makes unions weak. While Florida’s leadership ignored the risks of the COVID-19, the state of California took steps to protect its citizens. The Governor of the “Sunshine States” seeks to increase his presidential prospects by attacking the LGBTQ+ community while the leadership of the LAUSD has long sought to improve its treatment of these students.

At this week’s LAUSD Board Meeting, I used my public comment to remind district leadership of the commitments that they have made to LGBTQ+ students. Instead of listening to learn, Carvalho turned his back part way through the speech and, ignoring the importance of the subject, he carried on a conversation with his leadership team. Given the smile that crossed former Interim Superintendent Megan Reilly’s face, their discussion must have been light-hearted.

The LAUSD Board needs to make it clear that Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” attitude is not acceptable in Los Angeles’ schools. As the Superintendent’s bosses, they need to set clear boundaries of what is not acceptable in our progressive district.

The following are my full comments to the board:

The LAUSD has a long history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community and showing a commitment “to ensuring safe, supportive, and welcoming campuses free from discrimination and harassment for sexual minority youth.” These programs pre-date the greater societal shift towards acceptance that has been seen in recent years. For example, in 1984 Fairfax High School became “the first on-site program in the nation that targeted LGBTQ students in the school setting” and sought to address high dropout rates in this community that resulted from harassment, family crisis, and social discrimination.

Over the years, the LAUSD Board has passed a series of resolutions supporting this community. In 2012 Monica Garcia sponsored one that committed the district’s “daily efforts to acknowledge the rights of the LGBTQ community and bring systemic change that will lift the contributions and struggles that teach us all.” In 2019 Kelly Gonez’s resolution enforced the concept that “our schools must be safe and supportive environments for all our students, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression”.

While these words are powerful, being an ally requires commitment. Truly supporting students in this community takes more than wearing rainbow pins in June or slogans on our IDs. We must all be ready to fight when this community is put at risk. Unfortunately, this board has failed to do that for the students of Florida.

Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has initiated a culture war against members of the LGBTQ+ community. In the state where patrons of the Pulse nightclub were gunned down just a few years ago because of their sexual orientation, DeSantis has stoked the flames of hatred with his “Don’t Say Gay” law that prohibits teachers from answering questions students have about LGBTQ+ issues. Children who confide in their teachers must be outed to their parents before they are ready. Families who do not want their children to remain ignorant do not even have the option of opting their children into these discussions.

Instead of treating the Florida Department of Education (DOE) like the pariah that it is, the LAUSD Board Voted to send it $6 million. The contract that was signed with Florida Virtual School, which is operated by the Florida DOE, sends our limited education funds to the same organization that is responsible for enforcing DeSantis’ bigoted policies. Even worse, there appear to be no assurances that Los Angeles students will not be taught from a curriculum that conforms to the “Don’t Say Gay” guidelines.

If past resolutions were more than empty words, this board needs to hold the superintendent accountable. Why was it not disclosed in board documents that this money was being sent to the Florida DOE? What guidelines are in place to ensure that this contract respects the rights of LGBTQ+ students in Los Angeles? Were other options available that would have provided these same services from sources that conform with our values?

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Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with special education needs and public education. He was elected to the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and is the Education Chair. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.