From the South Orange Maplewood School District:
Dear SOMSD Community,
As a District, we would like to take a moment and proudly recognize that June is LGBTQ+ PRIDE Month, which is celebrating 50 years of Pride, and 51 years since the Stonewall Uprising against police brutality galvanized the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.
By proclaiming and recognizing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Pride Month, the SOMSD Board of Education welcomes, affirms and stands with our students, staff, caregivers and families and commits to providing a welcoming, respectful, inclusive, and safe learning environment for all of our students.
To our LGBTQ+ students, staff, families and community we see you, we celebrate and support you. We stand committed to the well-being and safety of all of our students and staff with a focus on equity and inclusion. We also recognize the needs of students who live at intersections who are disproportionately impacted by racism and homophobia, transphobia and school-based victimization because they are both Black and LGBTQ+ and we stand committed to ensuring that school policies and practices are inclusive and supportive of all our students, especially with regard to anti-racism and anti-discrimination inclusive of sexual identity, gender, orientation and expression.
We also support the new state curriculum requirements to commemorate and recognize the diverse contributions that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (+) individuals have made in our culture, history, and society by championing civil rights.
The South Orange Maplewood Board of Education along with the school district is committed to creating a welcoming environment for all our students. By recognizing LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the South Orange Maplewood Board of Education encourages all students, staff and families to listen to each other with the intention to understand, not to reply. Listen with the intention to grow and expand understanding beyond your own experiences. Listen and be present with each other.
Sincerely,
The South Orange & Maplewood School District
