North Kingstown students and community urge GSAs in middle schools and broader, inclusive sex education

Chloe Martin, a sophomore at North Kingstown High School, told the school committee that she struggled in middle school without a supportive peer community and urged the district to establish Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) at Whitford and Davisville middle schools. "This club has brought many of my friends together and united us on issues mental health, queer policy, and general support," Martin said, and recommended that GSAs be offered at both middle schools.

Several other students gave nearly identical testimony. Eliza Adler, a senior, urged the committee to adopt comprehensive, inclusive sex education, saying it is “an utter necessity” and arguing that a heteronormative curriculum endangers students who will seek information elsewhere. "Gay and trans students who need information will get it somewhere, and if it isn't education through our schools, it could be more dangerous and unreliable avenues of toxic sources on the Internet," Adler said. Alexis Adamonis and Ellie Arseneau described personal experiences of being unsupported in middle school and said a middle-school GSA would have helped them significantly.

Students and speakers cited research and local survey results to argue the programmatic need. Arseneau referenced a Trevor Project report and her own survey, noting youth suicide-attempt rates cited in national studies and that more than 80 percent of respondents in a local survey said a middle-school GSA would have been helpful. "These stats are not specific to the Trevor Project...a middle‑school GSA would have been helpful for them as a queer student," Arseneau told the committee.

Community members supported the students’ appeals and broadened the case. Laurie Duffy, a clinical social worker, and Carolyn Johnston, principal of the district’s only full Title I school, said the district should ensure curricula and supports reach all students. "By bringing these responsibilities together, the district has an opportunity to create stronger coordination, collaboration, and consistency across our schools," Johnston said about a combined equity and community-engagement role the district recently created.

Several speakers also criticized gaps in implementation of the district’s updated health curriculum. Johanna Reese, a junior, described inconsistent delivery across classrooms and said she had never received adequate sex education in the district. "In middle school, everyone being shown a widely outdated VHS tape about STDs...is not preparing students for the real world," Reese told the committee.

The committee did not take immediate formal action on the GSA requests during public comment. Members asked procedural and implementation questions during other agenda items about curriculum rollout and training; the administration said that curriculum updates and SEL (social-emotional learning) adoption processes are underway and that stakeholder input is planned for future implementation steps. The committee encouraged students and advocates to continue engagement through advisory groups and indicated that policy and curriculum committees would see materials in coming meetings.