GLENROTHES HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATED IN SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
Published date : 27 Feb 2019
GLENROTHES HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATED IN SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
SCHOOL’S LGBTI GROUP HAILED BY TOWN’S MSP FOR ACTIVISM
Glenrothes High School’s approach to Inclusive Education has been praised in the Scottish Parliament, by Glenrothes MSP Jenny Gilruth. The Town’s MSP yesterday (Tuesday) led a debate in Holyrood focused on LGBT History month, which has run for the past 13 years in February.
This year’s theme is ‘Catalyst: 50 Years of Activism’ – referring to the half a century which has passed since the Stonewall uprisings in New York City. 50 years ago, a number of riots broke out in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan; these protests are widely believed to have led to the gay liberation movement and the fight for LGBT rights worldwide.
Commenting in Parliament, Jenny Gilruth MSP said:
‘In my constituency, Glenrothes High School are the living embodiment of activism. Staff in the school have been trained to raise awareness of LGBTI issues and impact on pupils.
They’re celebrating LGBT History month with displays, presentations around the school, and within departments subject specific LGBT content is being taught. Added to that pupils have been delivering assemblies on homophobic, bi-phobic & transphobic bullying. Things have definitely changed for the better in our schools’.
The MSP also raised the work of Fife-based Pink Saltire and their recent Parliamentary reception in Holyrood last month. The local politician was keen to draw comparisons between the Education System in Scotland during the 1980s and that experienced by children and young people today. She highlighted the work of the TIE (Time for Inclusive Education) campaign, who recently secured Scottish Government backing for their commitment to bring Inclusive Education to Scotland’s schools.
Tweeting their response, Glenrothes High School’s LGBTI & allies group said –
‘Yes, what’s going on in GHS is being discussed in the Scottish Parliament! You can make a difference!’
Glenrothes High School tweeted –
‘Great to have the work of our LGBTI group mentioned in the Scottish Parliament by Jenny Gilruth MSP’.
The MSP will be meeting with the group in the near future.
In November last year, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, John Swinney MSP, announced a number of reforms to ensure “LGBTI inclusive education” is “embedded in the curriculum”.
These reforms will require schools to tackle “prejudice in relation to the LGBTI community” and promote “awareness of the history of LGBTI equalities and movements”. The Scottish government said work to implement the proposals would “begin immediately”.
You can read the report & its recommendations in full here – https://www.gov.scot/publications/lgbti-inclusive-education-working-group-report/
East Fife Mail, Glenrothes Gazette, Courier (Fife), EDUCATION, COMMUNITY
