As Student Safety Concerns Grow, Nation’s Largest LGBTQ+ Organization Doubles Down on its Local School Board Efforts

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) launched its Safe Schools Champion Initiative (SSCI) to identify school board leaders committed to protecting every student’s ability to learn in an environment rooted in dignity, belonging, and respect. The inaugural group of seven school board leaders recognized as “Safe Schools Champions” is committed to fostering safe, welcoming, and inclusive public schools through values-based leadership, community engagement, and student-centered governance. 

Developed in partnership with the School Board Integrity Project, individuals receiving a Safe Schools Champion distinction complete a comprehensive learning and commitment process focused on inclusive governance, student well-being, educator support, nondiscrimination, and meaningful community engagement.

“School board members are the people who decide emergency procedures and bus routes, building renovations and school start times, what textbooks your kids read and what clothes they can wear. And sometimes, the decisions school board members make can make kids — especially LGBTQ+ kids — feel pretty unsafe and unwelcome,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “Today’s Safe Schools Champions are demonstrating what it takes and what it means to build school communities where every student feels safe, respected, and able to learn. The Human Rights Campaign is one of the biggest LGBTQ+ organizations in the country — and we aren’t sleeping on school boards.”

“For decades, the Human Rights Campaign has partnered with educators, families, and school communities to help create classrooms where every student can succeed,” said Cheryl Greene, HRC’s VP of School and Youth Programming. “The Safe Schools Champion Initiative is the next chapter of that work, supporting local leaders with training, resources, and community to help foster welcoming schools for every student. ”

Across the country, extremist organizations have increasingly targeted school boards in an effort to ban books, erase LGBTQ+ students from classrooms, and undermine policies that help young people thrive. The Safe School Champions Initiative recognizes school board leaders who have publicly committed to:

• Supporting policies that protect LGBTQ+ students and staff from discrimination. 
• Promoting educator training and school environments where every student and staff member is treated with dignity and respect. 
• Advancing school climates that prioritize student well-being and proactively address misinformation that threatens student safety. 
• Opposing book bans and censorship that disproportionately target LGBTQ+ people, families, and topics. 

The Safe Schools Champion distinction is not an endorsement by the Human Rights Campaign. Instead, it serves as a recognition of leaders who have pledged to uphold principles that strengthen public education through inclusive leadership, equitable policies, and respect for every student, educator, and family. 

School board leaders who earn the “champion” distinction will participate in HRC’s online training designed to ground participants in HRC’s values and share best practices for inclusive governance, community engagement, and resource management. Participants also receive messaging guidance, nonpartisan policy information, leadership development opportunities, and connections to HRC's national network.

The inaugural cohort of Safe Schools Champions includes leaders from school districts in four states, representing communities large and small across the country where they are working to foster welcoming and inclusive public schools.

• Michael Vargas, Elk Grove USD, CA
• Ryan Schavrien, Redlands USD, CA
• Nancy Young, Murrieta Valley USD, CA
• Stacy Boyce, Visalia USD, CA 
• Micheal Garza, Cobb County School Board, GA 
• Jamie McGonnigal, Prince George’s Public Schools, MD
• Angie Gallo, Orange County Public Schools, FL

HRC’s Safe Schools Champion Initiative builds on decades of work advancing safe and affirming schools through programs like Welcoming Schools. By providing training, resources, and recognition for local school board leaders, the initiative builds leadership capacity and supports school communities where every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive. 

You can find more information about the Safe Schools Champion Initiative here. 

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, with 3.6 million members and supporters. The HRC Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) works to ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe, seen and supported where it matters most: at school, at work and in every community across the country. From the courtroom to the classroom, from Congress to corporate America, HRC and the HRC Foundation build power through partnerships, storytelling, and action—working to create a future rooted in equity, freedom and belonging for all LGBTQ+ people.

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