An Exciting Announcement

GLSEN Palm Springs/Desert Communities is excited to announce that we are now Safe Schools Palm Springs / Desert Communities!

We will continue with the same work and we look forward to spending even more time and energy working with school districts, staff, and students in the Coachella Valley to make schools safer for the gay, lesbian, bi, transsexual and questioning students and staff in our schools, thereby making our schools safer for everyone.

We will continue to use materials which are available through GLSEN, but we will no longer use the GLSEN name and logo and will not be associated financially with the GLSEN organization. At the same time will form a closer relationship with the California Safe Schools Coalition and other organizations in California re which share a similar mission.

Safe Schools PS/DC will continue its close association and supportive role with GSAs in the Coachella Valley high schools, and plans are being made to sponsor our second GSA training during October.

There are two key benefits of this change: Every dollar of the money we raise in the Coachella Valley and from grantors elsewhere will continue to serve local needs and concerns and we will maintain our ability to be locally governed and locally accountable.

We are grateful for the participation of our local donors and funders. We hope you feel reassured that funds donated locally will stay in the Coachella Valley to make our elementary, middle, and high schools safer places to learn and play.

Watch for further announcements about our meetings. Let us know where Safe Schools can assist. Keep checking the website to learn where we are being effective. And let us know how you would like to help with the task at hand.

Rick Smedstad, president