Why Should My School Have a Team?

There are behaviors and practices in every school that we might describe as issues related to race and skin color, national origin and ancestry, religion, disabilities, gender (including gender identity and expression), and sexual orientation. To ensure a safe learning environment for students of all identities, schools must identify and address these issues.

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 students to engage in conversations around identity and their school’s culture and climate.
• Empowering student members of civil rights teams to be leaders in their school communities.
• Preparing students for success in our increasingly interconnected world and diverse state and local communities.
• Signaling to targeted populations that the school actively cares about their safety and success in school.
• Creating structured opportunities for student response to public incidents of bias in the school or community.
• Improving communication between students and adults around common behaviors and practices adults are often unaware of.
• Increasing awareness and use of existing policies that protect students from harassment based on race and skin color, national origin and ancestry, religion, disabilities, gender (including gender identity and expression), and sexual orientation.
• Helping the school fulfill its obligations under federal and state laws guaranteeing equal access to education.
• Becoming part of a statewide network and connecting the school with resources available through the Civil Rights Team Project and the Maine Office of the Attorney General.