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Presenter: Kaitlyn Thomas
Population: LGBTQ
Topic: Bullying/Dropout
Audience: School staff, faculty/Administration
The LGBTQ population faces many trials in the school environment. This workshop will allow the audience to understand how bullying plays a role in the dropout rate, how policies play a role in the school, roles of the social worker will be addressed in the clinical and general aspect (internal/external). Additionally,  MTSS of each tier will show a EIP intervention that could help student on a micro, mezzo, macro perspective. However, other information will be discussed and shown.

Audio of the Workshop will be at the end

Enjoy!

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The following workshop holds many articles on the LGBTQ population. Each article discusses how the LGBTQ population has been without doubt ostracized in the school environment. Due to these factors many student's in the LGBTQ population face health disparities such as mental health issues like anxiety. They also face a more significant issue of attendance truancy, and dropping out. Also in regard to how bullying is not considered a disorder, but how those who may have externalizing disorders are more prone to bullying. The sources that are found will also cover policies that may affect the LGBTQ population in a positive and negative way. However, some  solutions on how to decrease these issues by using cognitive behavioral interventions, as well as implementing multi-tier systems of support.

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The LGBTQ Population and addressing the Drop Out Rate

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The LGBTQ Population and addressing the Drop Out Rate

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How can certain factors impact LGBTQ students' academics?
Rachel Hughes,  Damin, & Heiden-Rootes (2017), discusses that academically, the LGBT population in schools are affected drastically.  Factors that play a role in why students in the LGBT population community have lack of a safe haven is based on the school atmosphere.  According to Rachel Hughes et al. (2017), from rejection many LGBT individuals face a higher rate in mental and physical behaviors.  Additionally, authors Caroline Evans and Mimi Chapman (2014), describes the population of being high-risk in the environment (higher rates when race, religion etc. are added).  Unfortunately, bullying can affect academics based on the LGBTQ student skipping class and even losing focus on school work.  This can cause a student to fall behind and increase the chances of not wanting to complete school.

- Lack of focus
- Slipping grades
- Dropout rate

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Take a look at the statistic captured by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network also known as GLSEN (2016), in the text Educational Exclusion.

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Policies that affect LGBTQ Students Positively and Negatively.

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Policies that affect LGBTQ Students Positively and Negatively.

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According to Robert Constable ,Michael Kelly, and Carol Massat, policies such as Title IX have really affected policy change in many schools.  The authors describes how Title IX addresses how harassment will not be tolerated.  When this is done it ultimately provides ways to a more inclusive area for LGBTQ student (2016).  Although, it is great that these changes are being made authors Joseph P. Robinson and Dorothy L. Espelage (2012) suggest that some schools may not update school policies or they use generic policies, which does not clearly define sexual expression, identity, harassment, and sexual orientation.

- Improving environment
- Updated school policies
- Inclusion and respect of LGBTQ rights

NC Compulsory Attendance Policy
Many LGBTQ students are affected by the attendance policy that is in place.  Students who are bullied such as the LGBTQ population feels as if the school is not on there side.  Instead many LGBTQ students receive referrals, detention, and even expelled based harassment they want to avoid.  Instead of looking into bullying being the main reason why the LGBTQ students contemplate dropping out, the school often disciplines the LGBTQ students (GLSEN, 2016).  Absences are only excused if the individual has a valid excuse.  To many LGBTQ students the fact of fussing harassment and judgement should be taken into consideration.

- Valid excuse
- No more than 10 unexcused days ( investigation opened)
- Investigates truancy more so than looking at the issues in why LGBTQ students skip.

Additionally statistics show that:

- 3.4% of LGBTQ students reported not completing high school/ or not wanting to go back.
-With a hectic environment many LGBTQ students decide not to attend school, causing referrals, detention, and violating truancy. (54 percent vs. 34 percent --> the LGBTQ students disciplined v. other students such as cisgender who weren't disciplined).
(GLSEN,  2016).

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What are LGBTQ students' Title IX rights? - Rebecca Peterson-Fisher

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Keep in mind a student can drop out at the age of 16 (some school districts have raised it to 18).  However, the majority age of dropping out is 16 (North Carolina General Assembly, 2017). If a student does not feel comfortable within the school, many may not return. Thus, causing truancy and avoidance of returning.
North Carolina Age of when to start and drop of school :| 7 to 16 |

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Part 1. Compulsory Attendance.

§ 115C-378. Children required to attend.

(a) Every parent, guardian or custodian in this State having charge or control of a child between the ages of seven and 16 years shall cause the child to attend school continuously for a period equal to the time which the public school to which the child is assigned shall be in session. Every parent, guardian, or custodian in this State having charge or control of a child under age seven who is enrolled in a public school in grades kindergarten through two shall also cause the child to attend school continuously for a period equal to the time which the public school to which the child is assigned shall be in session unless the child has withdrawn from school.

(b) No person shall encourage, entice or counsel any child of compulsory school age to be unlawfully absent from school. The parent, guardian, or custodian of a child shall notify the school of the reason for each known absence of the child, in accordance with local school board policy.

(c) The principal, superintendent, or a designee of the principal or superintendent shall have the right to excuse a child temporarily from attendance on account of sickness or other unavoidable cause that does not constitute unlawful absence as defined by the State Board of Education. The term "school" as used in this section includes all public schools and any nonpublic schools which have teachers and curricula that are approved by the State Board of Education.

(d) All nonpublic schools receiving and instructing children of compulsory school age shall be required to make, maintain, and render attendance records of those children and maintain the minimum curriculum standards required of public schools. If a nonpublic school refuses or neglects to make, maintain, and render required attendance records, attendance at that school shall not be accepted in lieu of attendance at the public school of the district to which the child shall be assigned. Instruction in a nonpublic school shall not be regarded as meeting the requirements of the law unless the courses of instruction run concurrently with the term of the public school in the district and extend for at least as long a term.

(e) The principal or the principal's designee shall notify the parent, guardian, or custodian of his or her child's excessive absences after the child has accumulated three unexcused absences in a school year. After not more than six unexcused absences, the principal or the principal's designee shall notify the parent, guardian, or custodian by mail that he or she may be in violation of the Compulsory Attendance Law and may be prosecuted if the absences cannot be justified under the established attendance policies of the State and local boards of education. Once the parents are notified, the school attendance counselor shall work with the child and the child's family to analyze the causes of the absences and determine steps, including adjustment of the school program or obtaining supplemental services, to eliminate the problem. The attendance counselor may request that a law enforcement officer accompany him or her if the attendance counselor believes that a home visit is necessary.

(f) After 10 accumulated unexcused absences in a school year, the principal or the principal's designee shall review any report or investigation prepared under G.S. 115C-381 and shall confer with the student and the student's parent, guardian, or custodian, if possible, to determine whether the parent, guardian, or custodian has received notification pursuant to this section and made a good faith effort to comply with the law. If the principal or the principal's designee determines that the parent, guardian, or custodian has not made a good faith effort to comply with the law, the principal shall notify the district attorney and the director of social services of the county where the child resides. If the principal or the principal's designee determines that the parent, guardian, or custodian has made a good faith effort to comply with the law, the principal may file a complaint with the juvenile court counselor pursuant to Chapter 7B of the General Statutes that the child is habitually absent from school without a valid excuse. Upon receiving notification by the principal or the principal's designee, the director of social services shall determine whether to undertake an investigation under G.S. 7B-302.

(g) Documentation that demonstrates that the parents, guardian, or custodian were notified and that the child has accumulated 10 absences which cannot be justified under the established attendance policies of the local board shall constitute prima facie evidence that the child's parent, guardian, or custodian is responsible for the absences. (1955, c. 1372, art. 20, s. 1; 1956, Ex. Sess., c. 5; 1963, c. 1223, s. 6; 1969, c. 339; c. 799, s. 1; 1971, c. 846; 1975, c. 678, s. 2; c. 731, s. 3; 1979, c. 847; 1981, c. 423, s. 1; 1985, c. 297; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 769, s. 2; 1998-202, s. 13(aa); 2001-490, s. 2.38; 2003-304, s. 3; 2009-404, s. 1.)

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Part 1. Compulsory Attendance. § 115C-378. Children required to attend. (a) Every parent, guardian or custodian in this State having charge or control of a child between the ages of seven and 16 years shall cause the child to attend school continuously for a period equal to the time which the public school to which the child is assigned shall be in session.

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It is our responsibility to help these children succeed and feel safe in a school environment.  As the school social worker here are some aspects I need to be aware of and implement while advocating for the LGBTQ population:
Generalist & Clinical Social Work Roles
- Participate in referral process
- Address all concerns
- Implement policy practice
- Advocate, and engage on the behalf of vulnerable populations (LGBTQ)
- Participating, and educating others on policy programs (being apart of implementing new or current policy/programs)
- Case management
- Connecting LGBTQ students to resources (and those who may bully)
- Educate myself on school policy and curriculum that best serves the school population and student
- Able to use correct Assessment
Clinical
- Counseling
- Facilitate groups and intervention
- Cognitive Behavioral Treatment
- Creating Crisis plans
- Consultation
- Teamwork
- Short-term support/long-term based in Tier Intervention
- Help produce community/school resources to student for mental support in and out of school (LGBTQ students)
-Understanding mental health and school policies federal and state ( Constable, Kelly, Massat, (2016).

- The roles can be implemented to those who may have externalizing disorders that are prone to bullying.

- It is critical as the school social worker that cultural competence of the LGBT population is understood.  As the school social worker studying of the school policy and curriculum is critical to properly advocate for the the LGBTQ population and the school environment effectively.  An example of using a clinical role aspect is becoming knowledgeable and aware of cognitive training and how it may decrease emotional issues seen in the LGBTQ population and the aggressive roles in bullies.

Externalizing: Bullying (CD, ODD, etc. some students who bully may have mental health diagnosis) CBT Method: Cognitive Restructuring
Internalizing: Anxiety/Depression (easily fatigued, constantly worry, agitated, stress etc.), CBT Method: Relaxation Training
- Self-monitoring will also be addressed to help.
(Joyce-Beaulieu & Sulkowski, 2015)

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Multi-tiered System of Support/RTI (MTSS), 

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Multi-tiered System of Support/RTI (MTSS), 

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MTSS deals with assessing students within areas of behavior across the board of three tiers. MTSS looks at how to prevent and or decrease negative emotional as well as behavior. Documentations of the behaviors, and progress are analyzed in regard of acknowledging if an individual needs more support/intervention/services (Constable, Kelly, Massat, 2016).

Tier 1: 80 % of population
Tier 2: 5 % - 15 % of population
Tier 3: 1 % - 5 % of population

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- Tier 1 will acknowledge the general behavioral and emotional aspects from students that can be school wide.
- PBIS will be Implemented
-A needs assessment will be done to look at what the school needs to improve on.
Strategy using school wide services, curriculum changes will be implemented.

- Students will be handed out packets addressing bullying and how it may affect other individuals.

- School staff will encourage students to join classmates in creating a bulletin board in combating the issue with a say to "NO to BULLYING" campaign.

- Progress will be tracked by using assessments: to screen progress daily, monthly, or whenever the social worker/school administrators feels it is necessary. The assessments will cover behavior and factors that have occurred (Constable, Kelly, Massat, 2016).
- Also progress can be recorded by observation from staff and the school social worker by analyzing the students' behavior in different social settings, and surveys.

*The observation of students by teachers in classrooms and social workers looking at other settings of the school to see how students behave is crucial. Especially, when looking at the decrease in referrals to the principal office.

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Tier 2 acknowledges students who needs more support that tier 1 did not fully address.
-  Behavior Education Program (BEP) or a daily Check-in/Check-out (CICO) gives students additional support (Constable, 2016, p. 476).

- This will be used to address the LGBTQ population who may have a hard time with emotional support. This can also take a look at students who are the perpetrators of bullying.

-  Smaller group intervention

- This intervention will address how Check-In/Check out will be used (group-based, standardized intervention). Also the student will be using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy such as relaxation techniques to try to help with anxiety, stress, and depression by allowing themselves to learn how to become calm (muscle relaxation, breathing techniques( Joyce- Beaulieu & Sulkowski, 2015)

The group can be based on Project 10 a group that uses outreach especially for the LGBTQ, however it can incorporate the Gay/Straight alliance aspect. (educating not only the LGBTQ population but also cisgender). The student will use CICO when meeting with the group.

Facilitator: Greet Students, Check off attendance, Collect daily progress report, gives positive feedback throughout the day, collects work, gives out new report to student (eventually).
Students: Greet peers, shows up to class, does assignments, turns in progress reports/get reports signed (Everett, G., Fallon, L., O’Keeffe, B, Simonsen, B., & Sugai, G., 2011).

Progress monitored: progress reports, also by tracking the number of students by signing in and out of the program. Thus using the data to process and see if any changes in behavior are improving (also can track improvement by academic improvements).
Benchmark/Progress Reports (Based on emotional behavior), Self-Evaluation

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The Teacher Behind America's 1st LGBT Program: Fearless | msnbc

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- Tier 3: Students who may need more intensive, individualized support.
Functional Behavior Assessment: analyze a behavior that may be affecting the student in ways that may be hindering that child's ability to focus and access their educational needs or interfering with children getting their needs met (Contsable , 2016).

- Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP): Plays off the FBA, and can promote positive behavior instead of negative behavior from the student if implemented correctly.

- Self-Monitoring: The self-management Training and Regulation Strategy can also be applied to this tier which allows the individual to self monitor, record, evaluate, and assess one's self (Constable, 2016).

- CBT Will be included by using Self monitoring which can increase the behavior of positive goals and decrease negative behavior, by allowing the student to become aware of of their actions. Thus, the student will be able to focus on the goal that was set out (Joyce-Beaulieu & Sulkowski, 2015).

-Also cognitive Restructuring can be used to decrease that aspect of bullying in those that may experience conduct disorder (Joyce-Beaulieu, 2015).

The LGBTQ student or even the bully may need more support other than counseling (individualized separate meetings). The interventions introduced could allow positive goals to begin to take shape in behaviors. Bullies can become more aware of their actions by self-monitoring themselves and how they treat others. The LGBTQ students could benefit from self-monitoring by recording their emotional progress wile using STARS, and also may go to class more trying not to violate the truancy policy.

Progress monitored by: Pre and Post Test, Teacher/Social Worker Observation, Assessments, self-report (should see a decrease in negative behavior, and a spike in LGBTQ students attending class  and a decrease in aggressive behavior from bullies can improve).

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In conclusion, if the MTSS and EIP behaviors are implemented there will be a huge spike in positive behavior. We need to understand ways to help our vulnerable population such as the LGBTQ student body. Bullying, and the attendance policy will be assessed, and I'm confident we will see a tremendous change within the school environment. I thank you all for listening and I can't wait for the support and partnership we will embark on throughout the school year!

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Please click so you all can hear about the workshop!

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Now that the workshop is completed please, take the 5 question survey below. There will be an attachment if you are not able to copy and paste.
Practice & Policy Professional Development

1.) Do you agree that bullying and attendance policies can affect the LGBTQ community?

Yes

No

Maybe

Other:

2.) Did this workshop help you gain knowledge about school social work and MTSS?

A.) I did not gain any knowledge

B.)  I gained little knowledge

C.) I did not gain or lose

D.) I gained some knowledge

E.) I gained a substantial amount of knowledge

3.) On a scale from 1 to 5, how did you enjoy the workshop?

Not Enjoyable

1

2

3

4

5

Enjoyable

4.) Which tier in the workshop would you use at your school? And why?

5.) What vital information did you take away from the workshop? What is something that the workshop did well in, or could improve on?

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Kaitlyn, I really enjoyed reviewing your workshop! You provide a lot of content about this population and this was very useful for me to learn about. Great Job!

1.       Yes

2.       E.

3.       5- Enjoyable

4.       I would use Tier 3 in my school because this is more an individual approach and I would like to be one on one with my student if the problem is severe.

5.       The information I took away from this workshop was being more aware of what LGBTQ students really go through when they are in school settings like bullying and being harassed. I wasn’t very aware of this problem and this gave me a better sense of knowledge about this population. The workshop did well in providing a lot of information about the LQBTQ students and I love seeing the graphs to show the statics especially the graph on MTSS of support.