Two LGBTQ+ advocacy groups are calling on Arlington Public Schools to address the disproportionate mental health and safety outcomes negatively affecting its LGBTQ+ student population.
In a new joint letter to APS leaders, the groups, Equality Arlington and the Arlington Gender Identity Alliance (AGIA), are asking the school system to implement a more targeted response to the mental health challenges, violence, discrimination and bullying that its LGBTQ+ students experience at elevated rates when compared to fellow students.
“Trans, non-binary, and LGBQ students in APS are experiencing significantly worse mental health, suicidal thoughts and attempts, sexual violence, and bullying compared to their straight and cisgender peers,” the letter, sent to Superintendent Francisco Durán and School Board Chair Bethany Sutton on Monday, reads.
The letter points to the results of the 2024 Arlington Youth Survey, which used questions developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Released last fall, its results were gathered from more than 5,000 students on a voluntary basis in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12.
In a series of questions to 10th and 12th grade respondents, the survey found that 37.5% of LGBQ students, 41.7% of nonbinary students and 46.3% of transgender students reported experiencing “poor mental health including stress, anxiety, or depression” 30 days prior to taking the survey, compared to 17.4% of all students.
Likewise, nearly one-third (30.6%) of nonbinary respondents and 25.9% of transgender respondents “seriously considered attempting suicide” in the 12 months prior to taking the survey, compared to 6.8% of all respondents in 10th and 12th grade.
These disparities are mirrored across several topics, including experiences of sexual violence and bullying; in one instance, 20.4% of transgender respondents reported being bullied on school property in the last 12 months before taking the survey, as opposed to 7.4% of all respondents.
According to the groups’ letter, these disproportionate results bear similarities to data released in the 2019 Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families Report Card.
“APS has a duty to respond to the crisis of mental health, violence, and bullying facing LGBTQ+ students made apparent in its own survey results. The Code of Virginia requires ‘maintenance of a safe and supportive learning environment free from discrimination and harassment for all students’ and ‘prevention and response to bullying and harassment,'” the groups wrote. “These rates of poor mental health and bullying are simply unacceptable.”
The groups sent a number of detailed action items to school officials, which are listed below.
- Ensure consistent and effective enforcement of APS’ non-discrimination policies at all schools.
- Incorporate affirmative books and lessons into APS instruction, including during Pride Month.
- Charge the APS DEI office with actively supporting Gender & Sexuality Alliances (GSA) at all schools.
- Invest in professional development from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s Welcoming Schools leading up to the Seal of Excellence.
These action items call for consistent and effective enforcement of nondiscrimination policies across schools, incorporating “affirmative books and lessons” into the instruction throughout the year; support for gender-and-sexuality alliances at all schools; and providing staff instruction through materials of the Human Rights Campaign from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
“While we commend the strides APS leadership has taken to protect and support trans and non-binary students, we need you to take additional action,” the groups wrote. “APS cannot simply repeat the same broad approach to mental health, bullying and inclusivity without targeting resources to the specific needs and experiences of the LGBTQ+ community.”
The school system last fall rolled out a new anti-bullying curriculum. School Board members have set a policy objective of having at least 90% of students reporting feeling safe at school by 2030.
The groups sent the letter as Equality Arlington last month unveiled a new Arlington Trans Youth Quilt with squares contributed by more than 50 transgender and nonbinary Arlington students, focused on the theme, “Freedom to Be.”
The quilt is expected to remain on display at Central Library over the next few months.
