GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, teaches school staff how to make their classrooms safe spaces and it forms student clubs.

It’s back to school time, but for some students that may come with a feeling of dread.

LGBTQ+ kids are at a higher risk of being bullied. A few months ago we saw the effect that can have when Huntsville High student Nigel Shelby committed suicide after allegedly being bullied for being gay.

WZDX News dug into what’s going on to make schools safe.

This is the first full school year the group focused on making schools safe for LGBTQ students will be in Huntsville and Madison City schools. GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, teaches school staff how to make their classrooms safe spaces and it forms student clubs.

“A safe space kit is a guide that identifies what to do if a student comes out, what to do if you have witnessed bullying, and what to do to make your classroom as a teacher more inclusive and welcoming,” said Daniel Walker with GLSEN Greater Huntsville.

“And you’re putting those in every school?” WZDX News asked.

“Our goal is to put one in every school.”

GLSEN reports 95 percent of LGBTQ students in Alabama are verbally harassed and almost 80 percent have been physically attacked.

“Even one supportive adult in a student’s life can dramatically reduce their risk of suicide,” Walker said.

But a mental health worker in Huntsville believes teachers are stretched thin and it’s up to parents to support their children. Brenda Taylor-Moody knows because she was the bully.

“I also came from a background that was chaotic and I had no control at home so I looked for ways to control,” said Taylor-Moody, volunteer and past president of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

She says it’s especially important for the parents of LGBTQ kids to be supportive.

“I have to learn to love myself enough not to need somebody else to feel empowered,” Taylor-Moody said. “That’s a way parents and the school system can help young people. Sometimes they all need something to feel special, something to boost their self-esteem in order to not need it from hurting other people.”

Report bullying through your school system’s website. On August 24 there will be a safe schools event at Lee High School about anti-bullying and GLSEN workers will be there. Huntsville City Schools Spokesperson Keith Ward says this will be the first of monthly forum events covering topics from bullying to vaping.

Huntsville City Schools also has counselors and social workers from WellStone Behavioral Health on hand as well as their No Place For Hate program.