LGBTQ in Public Schools. Education Research Paper.

LGBTQ in Public Schools
Name
Institution
LGBTQ in Public Schools
The research question is “Do public schools have specific responsibilities towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) students? Bullying, curricular content, gay/Straight Alliances, bathroom…?”
The central question I hope to answer is what is the role of public schools in ensuring the welfare of the LGBTQ students. Are public schools mandated to put measures that ensure that students from this community receive the care, support, and safety that they need? It is an important question to help understand what has been happening in public schools in regards to the LGBTQ and what needs to be improved. It is important to know if public schools consider the needs of this community as vital as those of others students. With the increasing number of students who are joining the LGBTQ community, it is important to understand how their welfare is assured in schools. Do public schools have anti-bullying laws (Education USA, n.d.)? Are the issues of LGBTQ addressed in the school curriculum? Do public schools provide amenities such as bathrooms for transgender students (Balingit, 2018)? Are the general needs of the LGBTQ students something that is considered essential in public schools? These are the main questions that the research topic hopes to answer.
The LGBTQ students face extensive harassment and discrimination in schools. Unfortunately, many schools including public schools do not know what the law requires when it comes to the welfare and protection of this community. Even those schools or officials who know the laws, they are not effectively implemented. Other schools do not bother because they assume that the students do not know the laws also and so they will not question (Human Rights Watch, 2016). Currently, there is a heated debate on what public schools should include and not include when it comes to the LGBTQ community. For example, in matters of sex education, there is fierce opposition from those who embrace the LGBTQ and those who do not consider it a problem for their children (Arora, Kelly & Goldstein, 2016). For example, conservative parents feel that LGBTQ should not be taught in schools while the more liberal parents indicate that it is important to have inclusive sex education. Religious congregations are often at the forefront of rejecting se...