Perceptions of School Safety Vary By Students’ Sexual Orientation: Findings from a School Climate Survey of Middle School and High School Youth

Introduction. Recent national data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey reveal that students who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) are at risk for negative outcomes including suicidality and substance use. The school environment can be a protective factor for these youth. Understanding differences in how LGB youth perceive the environment is critical to promoting their positive development.

Methods. Using the U.S. Department of Education School Climate Survey (EDSCLS) with an added measure of sexual identity, this study examined the association between students’ sexual orientation and perceptions of school safety. Surveys were conducted with 2,569 students (9% lesbian/gay/bisexual) in grades 6 – 12 across 26 schools in Washington, DC during the fall/winter of 2016/2017. Safety items addressed four topic areas--Bullying/Cyberbullying, Emotional Safety, Physical Safety, and Substance Abuse. Importantly, the EDSCLS addresses the climate in the school rather than the student’s personal experience (e.g., “Students at this school are often bullied”). Multilevel models (students within schools) tested whether LGB status, and other aspects of school climate, predicted students’ perceptions of safety. Models controlled for students’ race/ethnicity and grade level.

Results. For girls, LGB status was not associated with perceptions of safety in any of the topic areas or the overall domain. In contrast, LGB boys had poorer perceptions on the overall domain of Safety (p < .01) and in the topic areas of Physical Safety (p < .05) and Bullying/Cyberbullying (p < .01) relative to straight boys. In exploring possible moderators, we found that for boys (regardless of sexual orientation), positive perceptions of Relationships and Cultural and Linguistic Competence were associated with better perceptions of Safety. Contrary to expectations, positive perceptions of Mental Health Environment and School Discipline were associated with poorer perceptions of Safety for LGB boys (but not boys who were straight). For girls, positive perceptions of Mental Health Environment, Relationships, and Cultural and Linguistic Competence were associated with positive perceptions of Safety.

Conclusions. This study highlights the role of students’ gender when examining the safety of LGB students. When schools undertake efforts to improve school climate, they must consider the experiences of boys who are gay and bisexual. Surprisingly, gay/bisexual boys who perceived a positive mental health environment had poorer perceptions of safety than boys reporting a negative mental health environment. This might reflect the fact that gay/bisexual boys who are bullied receive support from teachers, but those who are not bullied do not need—and therefore do not experience—this same level of support.