ABSTRACT

It is the intention of schools to meet the needs of each student, including students who identify as lesbian, bi-sexual, gay, transgendered, or questioning (LGBTQ). However, practices that discriminate against marginalized populations and a long history of inequities exist in the school system, where the status quo is perpetuated. It is the responsibility of school leaders to be social change agents for justice and equity. School leaders can use school handbooks as a catalyst to make our schools more inclusive, and equitable for each. Student handbooks alone won’t promote equity, but they do serve an important role, as they reflect the priorities and values of the school building and district as a whole. In addition, handbooks provide guidelines to aid and support for equitable outcomes, or positive experiences for LGBTQ youth.

The history of schools and purpose of public education is outside the scope of this research, however, it is important to consider at least the alignment or misalignment there might be with regard to the education of students who identify as LGBTQ. This alignment or misalignment was examined in this study to determine the extent to which LGBTQ-related language was present in student handbooks in Iowa secondary schools. These findings of this study evidenced a significant lack of LGBTQ -related language in the texts of the handbook from the sample.