Why Should My School Have a Team?

Every school has issues of bias related to race, color, national origin or ancestry, religion, physical or mental disability, gender, and sexual orientation. To ensure a safe learning environment for all students, schools must identify and address these issues of bias.

A civil rights team can help with this process. Specifically, participation in the Civil Rights Team Project will benefit your school by:

  • Creating opportunities for dialogue and discussion about important issues of bias in the school community
  • Actively engaging students in improving their school’s culture and climate
  • Empowering student members of civil rights teams to be leaders in their school communities in addressing issues of bias and harassment
  • Signaling to targeted populations that the school actively cares about their safety and success in school
  • Creating structure and opportunity for student response to public incidents of bias in the school or community
  • Improving communication between students and adults in the school on issues of bias and behaviors that adults are often unaware of
  • Increasing awareness and use of existing policies protecting students from harassment based on race, color, national origin or ancestry, religion, physical or mental disability, gender, and sexual orientation
  • Helping the school fulfill its obligations under federal and state laws guaranteeing equal access to education
  • Fostering a relationship between the school and law enforcement, including the Office of the Attorney General