Equality California’s Communications Director, Jorge Reyes Salinas had this to say about the surveys conducted.
“The reason why we are doing that is because school climate really has a direct impact on student outcomes, so when LGBTQ students feel unsafe at school they are more likely to drop out, skip classes, score lower grades, and encounter the criminal justice system.”
In its latest survey of California's unified school districts, Equality California sent surveys to all 343 unified school districts across the state, and 118 responded. Nineteen districts, statewide were honored for their inclusive steps towards supporting LGBTQ+ students.
Among the districts singled out, a handful of them are Bay Area districts. These include: San Francisco, Oakland, Monterey Peninsula, and Half Moon Bay.
Salinas also told KALW that the organization is holding a press conference set to award one of their spotlight districts, the San Francisco Unified School District. The press conference will take place on Tuesday at 9am.
