Hilliard students weigh in on NEA LGBTQ+ badges some teachers are wearing

by Thomas Kitchen,

Opinion Editor

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course. This article followed strict guidelines before being published whilst keeping the opinion aspect of an opinion article.

On Monday, September 12th, the Hilliard Board of Education held a meeting to discuss a few topics. Particularly, one topic mentioned in the board meeting was the future of the recently offered National Education Association (NEA) LGBTQ+ "I'm here" badges that some Hilliard teachers wear.

The badges soon sparked protest among some Hilliard parents as they were made aware of a QR code on the back of the badge. The QR code leads teachers to a toolkit that allows teachers to learn more about LGBTQ+ issues and how to be more inclusive in the classroom. But there are other less, classroom-appropriate resources in the toolkit as well.

Parents took to social media, such as Facebook, calling the badges "too political" and "explicit", while others called it an "important resource". At the board meeting, Hilliard parents were divided on the future of the badges and continue to be. High school students of Hilliard, caught in the middle of the debate, are beginning to voice their opinions.

While the badges are present in Hilliard schools, the contents of the QR code on the back are unavailable to students. In a statement made by Hilliard City Schools superintendent Dave Stewart regarding the badges he remarked, "The intent of the badge is a message of safety and inclusion for all students.” He continued by saying, “The QR code on the back of the badge is not there to be shared with students; rather, it is provided to adults by the NEA should they be interested in learning more about LGTBQ+ issues and supporting LGBTQ+ students. "

The Hilliard Education Association also advised teachers not to show the QR code to students. Thus, if teachers showed the QR code to students, it would risk their employment by the Hilliard District. The link provided by the QR code on the back of the badges is also blocked on all student devices in the Hilliard District. Despite the precautions the district is taking, the badges continue to be protested.

Students who have seen the toolkit by searching on the internet using personal devices feel the concern of parents. In a discussion with Jordan Fox related to the less than appropriate contents of the badge, he understood why parents might be upset, he said. "I believe that any students in grades K–6 [are]not able to understand the weight of the topics on the badge.” Jordan addressed those closer to his peers differently noting “Students in grades 7-12, I feel, to a degree, have an understanding of these topics. I feel it's important for our community to have those resources available to students who may need them. "

Some parents feel the badges are unnecessary, feeling the role of teachers is education. Omar Tarazi, a State Representative candidate and Hilliard City Council member, said in a statement to ABC 6 that "their role is education. There is an element of that where you have to have a good relationship with students. But that doesn't mean you are the personal therapist for every student. " Some parents just feel the badges distract from the classroom.

Other high school students in Hilliard feel that some parents are only looking at potential negatives.

Hilliard Bradley senior M Gilchrest said in an interview. "I think that those opposing the badges are always immediately assuming that they are designed to ‘indoctrinate kids’ without looking at the important resource the badges offer to students who need them." In a statement by the Hilliard Education Association regarding the badges, they said "Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24, and LGBTQ+ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers." The resource provided by these badges aims to cut back on the suicide rate of LGBTQ+ youth which has been and continues to be a serious problem. The Hilliard district is continuing to make efforts to increase inclusivity and make every student feel safe.

The feeling of security for members of the LGBTQ+ community in American schools has been a tough challenge to tackle. According to The Trevor Project many LGBTQ youth lack access to affirming spaces, with only 55% of LGBTQ youth reporting that their school is LGBTQ+ affirming. Tessa Vanvranken, a senior at Hilliard Darby High School, feels the future of the badges shouldn't even be up for debate. “The badges are providing a safe place for students to come to teachers.” The affirmation needed for the members of the LGBTQ+ cannot be understated. Some parents called the access to the resource that the badge provides, is a matter of life and death. Parents are concerned for the specific needs of their child.

Writer's opinion:

When I first heard about the badges I was kind of surprised to hear that we even had the badges in the first place. And sure enough not a day later I actually noticed the badge being worn by a few teachers at Bradley. I also noticed that teachers were in fact taking precautions to hide the QR code some articles had talked about.

Of course I wanted to see what was on the QR code. It doesn't take long to find the toolkit that the QR code leads to with just a google search (although it had to be done on a personal device as the NEA LGBTQ+ caucus website is blocked on District provided devices, further showing the precautions the district is taking to keep it from prying eyes). Upon inspection of the toolkit I can understand why parents might be upset the toolkit is in a school setting.

I also have reason to believe from discussion with my peers the general consensus among parents is that these badges shouldn’t be in an elementary setting, in the event an elementary student gets their hands on the badge. However, it is important to reiterate that the QR code is not for students and teachers HAVE to hide the QR code or potentially risk consequences. My opinion on these topics is generally hands off, but feel that it's important for my peers to have teachers they can talk to.

To State Representative Candidate Omar Tarazi’s point regarding the fact that teachers aren't my peers' personal therapists, I disagree for one important reason. The badges are optional to be worn. This means that any teacher who wears the badge is willing to talk with a student if they need. I believe this shows that Hilliard has great teachers willing to go above and beyond for their students. To show that they are there. To make sure us as students are ready for tomorrow.

The debates regarding the future of the NEA LGBTQ+ "I’m Here" badges are putting pressure on the Hilliard School District. The news has even been featured on major networks such as Fox News and major podcasts like The Ben Shapiro Show. The future of the badges remains unclear, but they don't seem to be going away any time soon. The divide in Hilliard over this topic is noticeable. Although one can only hope Hilliard can soon agree on it.