Atlanta Public Schools forms task force to study LGBTQIA issues

A new task force will identify what additional help and services may be needed for Atlanta students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual.

Atlanta Board of Education Chairman Jason Esteves announced the creation of the group this month. He said the LGBTQIA Task Force will be made up of students, teachers, administrators and outside experts. Those experts are expected to include elected officials and representatives from Georgia Equality and the Counter Narrative Project, an Atlanta-based organization that supports black gay men and their allies.

The group will look at Atlanta Public Schools’ policies and services available to students. Esteves said he’s particularly interested in making sure clubs that support LGBT students at North Atlanta and Grady high schools are also fully up and running in other high schools with large populations of students of color.

The group will look at what initiatives and policies have been successful in supporting students elsewhere and make recommendations about what APS should do differently or add.

Esteves said no specific incident prompted the creation of the task force. Earlier this month, various APS administrators and board members walked in the annual Atlanta Pride Parade.

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Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com