The Block Island School, the K–12 public school for the year-round community just off the Rhode Island mainland, has given their students the go-ahead to form the school’s first Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) this year.
“I am really proud of the agency the students have shown in getting the GSA off the ground and I am looking forward to supporting them as they grow that community,” Mike Petrik, the newly formed GSA’s teacher-sponsor, told The Block Island Times.
“Students often comment on the challenges of not always having the built-in support system of like-minded friends with similar interests that could easily be found at a larger school,” Petrik said. “I think the same holds true for our LGBTQIA+ students, which is one reason I am so glad to see them taking an active role in developing that through the GSA and starting broader conversations at the school.”
Reports The Block Island Times:
“Block Island School is small, and the numbers for all types of kids are small, LGBTQ or otherwise. But all of the LGBTQ kids and their parents who spoke to The Times reported homophobia and abusive bullying at the school. Multiple parents report meetings with Principal Kristine Monje over the years that have yielded no discernible results. Superintendent Robert Gerardi, who is in his first year at the school, along with Co-Principals Monje and Kyle Riley sat down with The Times for an interview earlier this month, and insisted on keeping the focus on moving forward. …
“The school administration told The Times that while they have not addressed anti-LGBTQ bullying directly with the student body, the school does have safe spaces, specifically health teacher Victoria Carson’s classroom. The Times reached out to Ms. Carson, who did not confirm her classroom as the ‘safe space.’ Instead, she said she encourages students ‘to constantly be identifying allies and safe people they can go to in different environments they may be in, so they always have someone to turn to that they trust.’
“The administration did say they were open to receiving training for the teachers and staff, however. The Block Island affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI-BI), reached out to The Times after hearing reports of anti-LGBTQ bullying at the school, and is interested in helping to facilitate training for the BIS staff. NAMI-BI is in the process of communicating this to the school.
“The administration says it wants to work toward creating an inclusive and safe environment, with Superintendent Gerardi saying he ‘can’t address why things did or did not happen in the past, but can do things moving forward.'”
Read the complete story at BlockIslandTimes.com.
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