Educators Information Night
Navigating Legislation to Provide Safe and Affirming Classrooms
Event Details:
Who: CCPS teachers and support staff
When: Wednesday, Sept. 13, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Where: Naples Pride Center - 2248 Airport-Pulling Rd S, Naples, FL 34112
Read the Naples Daily News article about the event, 'We're not stopping': GLSEN provides teachers resources for LGBT-friendly classrooms.
GLSEN Collier County began hosting our Educators Information Night in response to many of the new laws passed in Florida during the spring 2022 legislative session and the fear in teachers, students, and families they created.
For years, GLSEN Collier has hosted a meet-and-greet for GSA sponsors to connect with one another and learn about the programs and training we provide. However, teachers in particular expressed so much fear and panic for their LGBTQ+ students in our schools that we felt the need to open the event up to all teachers and support staff looking to provide a safe, supportive, and inclusive classroom.
Expert Insights on New Legislation
Each year we partner with a representative from Equality Florida and a local attorney from the Collier County Education Association to provide clarity to what the new laws do and do not say, what building administrators should and should not be requiring of teachers, and some strategies for teachers and support staff to affirm queer students in CCPS without putting their livelihood at risk.
Noelle DeLaCruz will present on behalf of Equality Florida. She brings a depth of knowledge regarding the new laws, including the precise language and some very clear ways we can still create safe and affirming spaces for diverse LGTBQ+ students on campuses. Esmond Lewis, an attorney for our CCEA, will share a local perspective on exactly what is happening here in Collier County and how the union can better support educators and support staff locally.
Join Us at Educators Information Night
This year’s event will be hosted at the Naples Pride Center on Wednesday, September 13, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. If you are a teacher, support staff, or GSA club sponsor in Collier County who shares in our mission of creating a safe, affirming, and inclusive education for LGBTQ+ students, and you would like to learn more about how you can do so without putting your livelihood at stake, this is the event for you. Click the link above to register and submit any questions or concerns you have for our presenters.
“The Educators’ Information Night was a wonderful way to learn more about the issues our LGBTQ students are facing in the schools from their perspectives. The guest speakers clarified some of the new Florida laws, and representatives from GLSEN Collier provided suggestions on how we, as educators, can best support these students. It was uplifting to see the numerous resources in the community to help LGBTQ youth while also being reminded there is still much to be done. This Information Night will be on my back-to-school calendar as long as GLSEN Collier offers it.”