Photo: Sebastian Stankiewicz / Rzeszów News
We know the results of the 2024 LGBTQ+ Friendly Schools Ranking. The most tolerant school in Podkarpacie is the Secondary School with Bilingual Departments in Boguchwala. For the third time in a row.
On Wednesday (April 24), the results of the fourth national edition of the LGBTQ+ Friendly Schools Ranking were announced. For the first time in history, the results were presented at the Ministry of National Education. This year, the slogan of the ranking was “School of Trust”.
A survey for students to complete is available on lgbtplusme.com. The survey included 20 questions – about the school’s approach to LGBTQ+ people, discrimination, whether schools organize anti-violence workshops, and whether teachers support the LGBTQ+ community.
Students completed the surveys from February 5 to April 14 this year. Schools that received at least 15 verified votes were included in the ranking. A total of over 12,000 of them came from all over the country, 323 from Podkarpacie.
The LGBTQ+ Friendly Schools Ranking reached over 2,000 schools. In the national ranking, the first place was taken by the 1st Social High School “Bednarska” from Warsaw, the second place was taken by the XXX Secondary School. Jan Śniadecki from Warsaw, and the third – III Secondary School with Bilingual Departments in Zabrze.
The top 30 cities include: Rzeszów, Boguchwała, Żywiec, Opole, Kielce, Rumia, Chojnice, Człuchów, Kędzierzyn-Koźle. 55 percent of the votes came from outside the 10 largest cities in Poland.
The winning schools receive Trust Shields signed by Deputy Minister Paulina Piechna- Więckiewicz.
Five schools from Podkarpacie
For the third time in a row, the Secondary School with Bilingual Departments in Boguchwał near Rzeszów was chosen by students as the most tolerant school in Podkarpacie (26th place in the national ranking).
The Bilingual University Secondary School has also joined the group of friendly and committed schools. Stanisław Barańczak in Rzeszów – 34th place in the ranking.
– A school that is tolerant and accepting allows students to trust the school, teachers and each other – says Kacper Blok, regional coordinator of the Growspace Foundation, which was involved in creating the ranking.
The ranking included three other high schools in Podkarpacie: I LO im. M. Kopernika in Krosno was recognized as a school moderately friendly to the LGBTQ+ community (97th place), and the I Secondary School was also recognized as such. King Stanisław Leszczyński in Jasło (124th place).
The 3rd Secondary School in Stalowa Wola (139th place) was considered an unfriendly school in our region.
Violence still exists
This year’s Ranking of LGBTQ+ Friendly Schools shows that just over 50 percent people participating in the study declare that the atmosphere at school is good. It’s still not much.
As much as 41 percent study participants experienced psychological violence (e.g. exclusion, name-calling, ridicule) due to sexual orientation or gender identity, and 49 percent experienced psychological violence for other reasons.
The level of physical violence (e.g. nudging, shoving) is alarming: 28 percent. of respondents experienced it due to sexual orientation or gender identity, and 27 percent for other reasons.
In Podkarpacie, these numbers are also not the best, 29 percent. respondents experienced physical violence due to their LGBTQ+ affiliation. The data on violence for other reasons is also very disturbing – 33 percent experienced it. subjects
As much as 51 percent students participating in the study experienced cyberbullying. As much as 32 percent students do not have even one person they can count on at school. This is important because psychological care in Polish schools has been failing for several years.
– It’s hard to trust someone we don’t have the opportunity to see or talk to. We often don’t know that we can ask for this help or ask other students or parents for it, says Aleksandra Stube from the GrowSPACE Foundation.
– Systemic changes are necessary. Teaching staff, psychologists and school counselors are overloaded with too many responsibilities or are not provided with the appropriate tools to provide appropriate help, Stube emphasizes.
State support
This year, the ranking is held under the patronage of the Ministry of National Education, the Minister of Equality, the Ombudsman for Children, and with record support from local governments. This is important for the creators of the ranking.
– Finally, the institutions are where they should be, that is, on the side of us, the youth – says Mateusz Trzaska, co-coordinator of the ranking. – Unfortunately, we still see cases of schools in the ranking that are rated red on the map and this is disturbing to us.
– We want every school to be a place that educates young people in the spirit of openness and respect for human dignity. These are our basic rights, emphasizes Trzaska.
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