04/03/2023 -
Dr. Amie Carter, Sonoma County superintendent of schools, recently sent the following letter to school leaders, announcing plans to launch an LGBTQ+ educator collaborative.
Dear educators and school leaders,
A month after taking office, I heard from a first-year educator who identifies as non-binary. They were searching for support and community from their fellow educators and SCOE leadership.
This teacher’s email brought me back to the start of my career, when I worked as a high school English teacher in the Central Valley. There, I hid my queer identity out of fear of judgment or even losing my job. As my colleagues shared stories of their family lives in the teaching lounge or with their students, I stayed silent and invisible, which only deepened those feelings of isolation.
As county superintendent, I have the opportunity to help create safer, more supportive environments for our educators and school staff as we seek to create more inclusive workplaces and learning environments. That is why I am pleased to invite LGBTQ+ educators and allies to attend the kickoff of the Sonoma County Office of Education’s new LGBTQ+ Educator Collaborative.
This effort will bring teachers, school staff, and allies together to discuss how we can help our educators who identify as LGBTQ+ navigate our educational system’s unique challenges.
The first meeting will take place from 5-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, at SCOE, 5340 Skylane Blvd., in Santa Rosa. There is no cost to attend. To register, please visit the event’s web page. If you have questions, please contact Mark Niemann, curriculum coordinator for the North Coast School of Education, at mniemann@scoe.org or 707-522-3029.
Thank you,
Amie R. Carter, Ed. D.
Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools
