An Introduction to Welcoming Schools: Letter of Introduction

After several months of trial and error in our search, Kim Westheimer, a senior consultant for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation‘s Welcoming Schools program, came to one of our meetings and explained to us the core elements of the new initiative. The anti-bullying program specifically mentioned gay and lesbian parents when addressing aspects of family diversity. The program acknowledged single-parent families, foster families and children being raised by grandparents. We saw that the program was a perfect fit for our district, and three New Bedford principals volunteered their elementary schools for the pilot program.

The schools joined sites in urban centers in the Midwest and on the West Coast to implement the pilot. Since May 2007, each school has formed a task force of parents and staff to inform the careful implementation of the program. The program has evolved as a meaningful attempt to make sure that, from the earliest ages, all students feel welcomed in school. To expect that students will know how to handle issues related to teasing, gender stereotyping and bullying without specific, well-informed instruction is folly.

Welcoming Schools has made great inroads in the entire New Bedford public school system, not just the three elementary school pilot sites. Because of open discussions at district administrative meetings, other principals are better prepared to address the full range of student and family diversity at their schools. The Welcoming Schools Program and its Guide specifically address all aspects of student and family diversity. All benefit when students see that their families are acknowledged and respected within the school environment. It is only when some students and families are left out that problems develop and marginalization occurs.

As a former assistant superintendent, I strongly recommend, from the earliest grade levels, the Welcoming Schools program and Guide as an effective intervention to establish and maintain a safe school environment for each student. The New Bedford Public Schools needed to take more specific steps to keep all students safe, and Welcoming Schools provided the way.

Sincerely,
Lawrence J. Finnerty, Ed.D.
Retired Assistant Superintendent
New Bedford Public Schools