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Miss Monica's 1/2 combo Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary, Soquel Union District

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Miss Monica's 1/2 combo Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary, Soquel Union District

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San Lorenzo Valley Elementary sending love

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Stephanie Sumarna, EdTech & Innovation ToSA

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Mar Vista Elementary, PVUSD. Read aloud for 2nd and 3rd grade this week!

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Mar Vista Elementary PVUSD, Read aloud for 2nd and 3rd grade this week!

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Proud to support our LGBTQ+ students, families and neighbors

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Westlake Elementary Raises the Rainbow Flag

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Westlake Elementary Raises the Rainbow Flag

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The Pride Progress Flag is raised Monday morning during a ceremony at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education marking Harvey Milk Day. Many schools countywide raised the rainbow flag to honor the legacy of Milk, a gay rights pioneer and California's first openly gay elected official whose advocacy fueled movements for LGBTQ+ rights across the country. Santa Cruz High ninth-grader Taly Strubing, who identifies at LGBTQ+ was given the honor of the physical raising of the flag. They said, "It feels good to know everyone cares and that we are seen and appreciated." The Progress Pride flag was developed in 2018 by non-binary artist Daniel Quasar with the redesign adding a five-colored chevron to the classic rainbow flag to place a greater emphasis on inclusion and progression. The flag includes black and brown stripes to represent marginalized LGBTQ+ communities of color, along with the colors pink, light blue and white, which are used on the Transgender Pride Flag. A press release about the second annual rainbow flag raising ceremony from the County Office of Education says, "The COE is encouraging and supporting teachers across the county to incorporate LBGTQ+ history into curriculum in an effort to increase awareness about LGBTQ+ history and celebrate the diversity of all of our students and families." (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

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Photos | Santa Cruz County Office of Education honors legacy of Harvey Milk with rainbow flag

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The Pride Progress Flag is raised Monday morning during a ceremony at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education marking Harvey Milk Day. Many schools countywide raised the rainbow flag to honor the legacy of Milk, a gay rights pioneer and California's first openly gay elected official whose advocacy fueled movements for LGBTQ+ rights across the country.

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For the second year in a row, schools across Santa Cruz County raised the rainbow pride flag in celebration of Harvey Milk. Milk was an openly gay elected official when he served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the 1970's. He was an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, education and inclusivity before his assassination in 1978. There have been great steps in support of LGBTQ students on school campuses with the passage of the FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Act signed into law in 2011 but there is still a ways to go.While it's a day of celebration there is a growing concern about the mental well-being of LGBTQ students."We recognized there was a significant increase in students who were experiencing anxiety, depression, suicidal idealization," said Santa Cruz County Office of Education Superintendent, Faris Sabbah.A California Healthy Kids survey showed that 36% of LGBTQ students in Santa Cruz County Schools had suicidal thoughts compared to 10% of their peers in 2021.The County Office of Education would like to see no child under any kind of mental stress, said Sabbah."But the fact that LGBTQ students have such a higher consideration, ideation of suicide is something that is of great concern to us and it recognition of it the tough time that they're having when it comes to their identities, the way that their treated and it really moves us to create those safer spaces..."The Office of Education partnered with the Santa Cruz Diversity Center and its Safe Schools project continues to encourage schools to be more inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ students."We can't ignore those statistics right, the things we need to do is teachers need to be more inclusive in their classrooms with signs and symbols. They need to better understand the LGBTQ culture. Those are the types of workshops; different curriculum guides we do for teachers." said Rob Darrow, consultant for LGBTQ support at The Santa Cruz County Office of Education.Programs like the pride flag-raising event, along with lessons about Harvey Milk are examples of progress."I actually taught high school a few years ago and students are much more open and receptive and supportive of students who are gay and queer and LGBTQ and I'm really happy to see things have progressed and changed," said Vanessa Quiroz-Carter, Second District Watsonville City Councilmember.Changes are part of the school curriculum and current students are glad that it is happening."This is our second time that we're going to be doing that at the school and I think it's great to have that organized and to have such a supportive district and school community that we can keep that going throughout," said Tashi Liem, Santa Cruz High School Student.The rainbow flag will remain at the County Office of Education through June.

For the second year in a row, schools across Santa Cruz County raised the rainbow pride flag in celebration of Harvey Milk.

Milk was an openly gay elected official when he served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the 1970's. He was an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, education and inclusivity before his assassination in 1978.

There have been great steps in support of LGBTQ students on school campuses with the passage of the FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Act signed into law in 2011 but there is still a ways to go.

While it's a day of celebration there is a growing concern about the mental well-being of LGBTQ students.

"We recognized there was a significant increase in students who were experiencing anxiety, depression, suicidal idealization," said Santa Cruz County Office of Education Superintendent, Faris Sabbah.

A California Healthy Kids survey showed that 36% of LGBTQ students in Santa Cruz County Schools had suicidal thoughts compared to 10% of their peers in 2021.

The County Office of Education would like to see no child under any kind of mental stress, said Sabbah.

"But the fact that LGBTQ students have such a higher consideration, ideation of suicide is something that is of great concern to us and it recognition of it the tough time that they're having when it comes to their identities, the way that their treated and it really moves us to create those safer spaces..."

The Office of Education partnered with the Santa Cruz Diversity Center and its Safe Schools project continues to encourage schools to be more inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ students.

"We can't ignore those statistics right, the things we need to do is teachers need to be more inclusive in their classrooms with signs and symbols. They need to better understand the LGBTQ culture. Those are the types of workshops; different curriculum guides we do for teachers." said Rob Darrow, consultant for LGBTQ support at The Santa Cruz County Office of Education.

Programs like the pride flag-raising event, along with lessons about Harvey Milk are examples of progress.

"I actually taught high school a few years ago and students are much more open and receptive and supportive of students who are gay and queer and LGBTQ and I'm really happy to see things have progressed and changed," said Vanessa Quiroz-Carter, Second District Watsonville City Councilmember.

Changes are part of the school curriculum and current students are glad that it is happening.

"This is our second time that we're going to be doing that at the school and I think it's great to have that organized and to have such a supportive district and school community that we can keep that going throughout," said Tashi Liem, Santa Cruz High School Student.

The rainbow flag will remain at the County Office of Education through June.

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Central Coast LGBTQ+ students face mental health challenges more than their peers

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For the second year in a row, schools across Santa Cruz County raised the rainbow pride flag in celebration of Harvey Milk. Milk was an openly gay elected official when he served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the 1970's. He was an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, education and inclusivity before his assassination in 1978.

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Santa Cruz COE #RainbowFlagRaising. Watsonville City Council Member Vanessa Quiroz-Carter speaking. 

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Santa Cruz COE #RainbowFlagRaising. Watsonville City Council Member Vanessa Quiroz-Carter speaking. 

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Santa Cruz COE #RainbowFlagRaising. Student Tashi Liem. 

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Santa Cruz COE #RainbowFlagRaising. Student Tashi Liem. 

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Santa Cruz COE Rainbow Flag Raising. #HarveyMilkDay 

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Santa Cruz COE Rainbow Flag Raising. #HarveyMilkDay 

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Santa Cruz COE Rainbow Flag Raising. Dr. Faris Sabbah

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Santa Cruz COE Rainbow Flag Raising. Dr. Faris Sabbah

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Santa Cruz COE Flag Raising and Santa Cruz High School Choir.

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Santa Cruz COE Flag Raising and Santa Cruz High School Choir.

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Students and Staff at SVHS raising the Rainbow Flag!

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Students and Staff at SVHS raising the Rainbow Flag!

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Proud to raise the Rainbow Flag at SVHS today!

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Proud to raise the Rainbow Flag at SVHS today!