May-June Advisor 2021 web

MAY – JUNE 2021 CEA ADVISOR 19

DANBURY TEACHER RECEIVES HARVEY MILK – SYLVIA RIVERA AWARD Kimberly D’Auria recognized for challenging gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination

NEA Danbury member Kimberly D’Auria, a family and consumer science/humanistic multicultural educator at Danbury High School, has been named the recipient of CEA’s 2020-2021 Harvey Milk– Sylvia Rivera Award for Challenging Discrimination Related to Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation. D’Auria was nominated by school counselor Jean Carroll-Jones, who applauded her colleague’s lifelong commitment to LGBTQIA rights in both her personal and professional endeavors. The award was announced at the virtual CEA Representative Assembly on May 15. A Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) advisor at Danbury High School for the past nine years, D’Auria has trained GSA student members in strategies to advocate for themselves and the greater teen LGBTQIA community. The group’s activities have expanded beyond their own school and have included gatherings with other GSA clubs in western Connecticut and collaborations with Boehringer Ingelheim, a local corporation that has consistently been designated as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQIA equality. D’Auria and her students attended the Peace Jam, a conference at Western Connecticut State University in which university students and faculty provided practical learning for more than 100 high school and middle school students through workshops, focus

groups, and projects. Her students led a presentation for participants that included the event’s keynote speaker, Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee. Their workshop, Creating Welcoming Schools for LGBTQ Students, was designed to create a safe space to explore sexual orientation and gender identity and engage in dialogue about LGBTQIA issues in schools. The discussion explored student and teacher biases, language, safety, and students’ rights and examined ways to make positive changes in schools and serve as allies for LGBTQIA students. D’Auria is also actively involved in training other educators, especially school counselors, and has promoted opportunities to attend and experience True Colors workshops, True Colors Conference Day of Silence, World AIDS Day, and Bethel Pride, to name a few. She created a document to assist colleagues in understanding the use of students’ preferred names on class rosters and closely followed the transgender athlete lawsuit Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools , which sought to prohibit transgender girls from competing as girls in high school sports. She kept colleagues and students informed as the case progressed and provided resources on transgender athletes, language, policies, and rights. Outside of school, D’Auria serves as a board member and facilitator with GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and

NEA Danbury member Kimberly D’Auria is the recipient of CEA’s 2020-2021 Harvey Milk–Sylvia Rivera Award for Challenging Discrimination Related to Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation.

Straight Education Network) CT and has conducted related trainings and workshops for various educational institutions. She was a keynote speaker at the 2018 Women’s March at the State Capitol in Hartford and most recently advocated for the passage of state legislation that would require public school curriculum in Connecticut to include lesbian, gay,

bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual orientations and gender identities studies. CEA is proud to acknowledge D’Auria’s clear and unwavering commitment to ensuring that all LGBTQIA individuals are respected and celebrated by her students, colleagues, and community members.

HCR WORKSHOPS

HONOR YOUR COLLEAGUES WHO ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE 2021-2022 CEA HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS AWARDS DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS: FEBRUARY 1, 2022 Why do we celebrate excellence? Educators live in a world filled with challenges and threats to their profession and their schools. But in spite of these challenges, they and other people and organizations find innovative ways to support and influence students and public education. CEA’s Human and Civil Rights Awards provide an opportunity to acknowledge these dedicated and diverse educators for advancing human and civil rights and standing up for public schools.

Human and Civil Rights workshops are offered to CEA members free of charge. If you are interested in having your local association host one of these two-hour workshops presented by CEA’s Robyn Kaplan-Cho, contact your local association president or CEA UniServ Representative for more information. Knowledge Is the Best Protection: Preventing and Responding to Aggressive Student Behavior As the demands to address all of a student’s academic and emotional needs have increased, it is vitally important that all teachers are informed of their legal rights and duties related to aggressive student behavior. In this timely workshop, you will learn: • What preventive actions you should take to protect yourself and your students • What procedures you can and should follow in the event that you are assaulted by a student • Why it’s important to report any assaults or threats of assaults to your principal—and the reporting requirements of principals if there is an assault • What your association can do to help you take whatever steps are appropriate to protect your rights as an employee, including measures to provide a safer workplace for everyone in the building • What safety provisions can be negotiated in your collective bargaining agreement related to aggressive student behavior Mythbusters: Understanding Your Legal Rights and Responsibilities in the Special Education Process This workshop focuses on the laws of special education with a particular emphasis on regular and special education teachers’ rights and responsibilities when participating in the special education process. Participants will learn what the law requires of them as well as what they can and cannot do in such areas as PPT meetings, drafting IEPs, and accommodating students in the regular education environment. The impact of special education laws on teachers’ working conditions will be integrated throughout the workshop. Section 504: An Emerging Issue for Educators Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is receiving increased attention in schools, and many more teachers are working daily with 504 students than ever before. This workshop will • Provide an overview of the civil rights law, including the 2008 changes • Review its procedural requirements (with an emphasis on the eligibility process) and relationship to the IDEA • Examine its applicability to such issues as ADHD, field trips, and allergies

Go to cea.org/grants-and-awards for more information.