Safe, Welcoming & Inclusive Schools

Students and educators deserve to learn and work in safe, welcoming, and inclusive school environments. Several factors can get in the way of these positive school climates, though – trauma, poverty, lack of resources, and other community events like wildfires or violence. Educators alone can’t solve crises or conditions that impact schools. OEA members work to engage in professional learning, policy advocacy, and organizing that do have a positive impact on schools, themselves and their colleagues, and most importantly, students.

OEA is committed to helping create safe, welcoming and inclusive school environments. That can include implementing trauma-informed practices, learning more about restorative practices, using OEA grants for members to increase resources for students, or organizing at the local level. Members can read more about OEA’s recommendations for creating the schools our students deserve in our “Crisis of Disrupted Learning” report.

OEA offers a continuum of professional learning for members to become trauma aware educators. There are various opportunities to learn more about trauma informed practices and members can find those opportunities here.

OEA’s vision of a trauma informed education includes:

Safe, Welcoming & Inclusive Schools

Additional Resources to Support LGBTQ+ Students and Educators