SETH WALSH STUDENT RIGHTS PROJECT
Hotline: 213.977.5251 / 213.417.2251 (f) / sethwalshproject@aclu-sc.org
Mission
The mission of the Seth Walsh Student Rights Project is to stop unlawful bullying and harassment in California schools and to create school communities that promote safety and respect for all students.
Resources
- Uniform Complaint Form
- 10 Easy Steps for Preventing Anti-LGBT Bullying
- Seth Walsh Project Fact Sheet
- Know Your Rights brochure
- Know Your Rights brochure (Spanish)
Why did the ACLU initiate the Seth Walsh Project?
The creation of the Seth Walsh Project was prompted by the September 2010 suicide of Seth Walsh, a thirteen-year-old eighth-grade student at Tehachapi’s Jacobsen Middle School. Since coming out as gay in the sixth grade, Seth was subjected to severe verbal harassment based on his sexual orientation and refusal to conform to traditional gender stereotypes.
No mother should ever have to lose their child to intolerance and anti-gay harassment, especially when it occurs in a place that should be providing them with an education and putting them on a path to a promising future,” said Wendy Walsh, mother of Seth. “I am so proud and think it is phenomenal that the ACLU of Southern California has chosen to name their students’ rights project after my beautiful, loving son, Seth.”
Project Objectives
- Help school officials and students understand what constitutes unlawful bullying, harassment and discrimination and provide them with the resources they need to effectively stop it when they see it
- Investigate reported instances of unaddressed bullying, harassment and discrimination to remedy the ongoing harm while assessing the appropriate implementation of ongoing professional development for school officials that address the impacts of bullying, harassment and discrimination;
- Advocate for school districts to adopt comprehensive anti-harassment and nondiscrimination policies that encourage the reporting of bullying, harassment and discrimination while adequately publicizing such policies;
- Lobby for the passage of federal and state legislation to protect all students;
- Generate spirit of connectedness within schools to eliminate the “bystander effect” and encourage reporting of unlawful bullying, harassment and discrimination;
