In response to lingering questions, Springfield Public Schools notified employees Friday of new guidelines outlining the display of Safe Space stickers on district property.
The district has long permitted the voluntary placement of the stickers and will continue.
However, only district-issued Safe Space stickers will be allowed, which do not include the name, logo or insignia of an outside group. All others must be removed, according to the Friday message.
Employees will be required to complete special training before displaying the sticker. They will only be allowed on the outside of classroom and office doors, either on the frame or glass panel.
"Creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone who enters the doors of our school is our focus at SPS. One way SPS supports this work is through the voluntary placement of district-approved Safe Space stickers," the district wrote in the message.
"While all educators want to reassure students that their classrooms are safe spaces, displaying a sticker indicates that a team member is both willing and equipped to assist students in crisis."
The appropriateness of Safe Space stickers has repeatedly been questioned in recent years, in Springfield and beyond, because they are often distributed by allies as a way to show support for LGBTQ students, employees and others.
The Safe Space term has been used to indicate that a teacher, school, college campus or student body will not tolerate harassment, violence or hate speech against others including marginalized groups. The term has also been mocked as coddling students or stifling personal freedoms.
Safe Space stickers have been banned by certain districts in Missouri and across the U.S. while other districts, including Springfield, have permitted their use.
Three board members raise concerns
Members of the Springfield school board have repeatedly raised questions about the district's allowance of Safe Space stickers, and other signage, for more than two years.
The questions have been asked by board members Kelly Byrne and Maryam Mohammadkhani.
Member Steve Makoski has been outspoken about his concerns in meetings and in appearances on local talk radio shows.
Board emails previously obtained by the News-Leader show Mohammadkhani has been asking about the stickers since May 2021, shortly after she was first elected.
"We need teachers who concentrate on academics, rather than focus on ideology — rampant in some English classes across the district that has gone unchecked by site principals," she wrote in later emails. "How long do you think it will take to weed out the administrators and teachers who feel the need to sticker up our walls with safe space insignia — implying that we have unsafe spaces in our building?"
A year ago, the board opted not to act on a request to issue a statement of support for LGBTQ students and staff.
As part of that meeting, board members Byrne, Makoski and Mohammadkhani called for Safe Space stickers to also be removed from school buildings.
"SPS should remove itself from any potential social or political indoctrination. It is not our job to take a stance on students' sexual attractions or identities. That is between them and their parents or guardians. Our job is education," Byrne said in June 2023.
"I don't believe it is appropriate for district employees or district facilities to display Pride flags, or Safe Space stickers or any similar virtue-signaling items. Students should not be urged or signaled to that certain adults or rooms are safe to have private conversations about matters of a sexual nature."
This spring, ahead of a hotly contested school board race, Makoski took photos of Safe Space stickers and other signs and posters at Central High School. They were used by the Christians Uniting for Political Action to campaign for three of the board candidates, including Mohammadkhani.
Makoski said he took the photos while volunteering at the school because he wanted evidence of what employees displayed on school walls and doors.
"First off, I don't approve of them, No. 1," he said at the time. "They have no place or no business in our school so I just took pictures of them because I wanted to utilize them for whatever, if I ever have a presentation."
Pride flag removal prompted questions
In August 2022, employees at Kickapoo High School were required to remove any Pride flags and the district sent an email to all teachers and staff that outlined the requirements of board policy. It stated, in part:
- Case law and board policy allow the district to protect classroom space as a "limited open forum" and endure conduct and speech focuses on educational purposes only. Items displayed on classroom walls should directly serve an instructional purpose;
- Personal items displayed on desks or work spaces for personal use are acceptable as long as they do no disrupt the instructional environment. This includes laptop stickers, lanyards and apparel;
- Items prominently displayed on the walls of a classroom, office, meeting space or other public standard are held to a different standard.
At the time, and again recently, the district referred to Safe Space stickers as the "appropriate method for staff who choose to acknowledge their classroom as a place for students to seek assistance."
In a June 17 email obtained by the News-Leader through a Sunshine Law request, the district gave the board a heads-up about the guidance that went to employees Friday.
The email was from Superintendent Grenita Lathan. In it, she noted that in response to concerns raised by Byrne and Mohammadkhani, the district was taking steps to provide clarity.
The details outlined to the board in the mid-June email were reflected in the Friday message to employees. It noted, among other things, that the district cannot control how employees adorn their personal property such as book bags or lunch boxes as long as they are not violating district policy or the law.
Stephen Hall, chief communications officer, said the message sought to address the "perceived lack of consistency or understanding of how they're being used and what the purpose is."
"One of the concerns is that the Safe Space stickers that are currently being used across the district are not as uniform as they should be," Hall said.
The existing stickers were distributed by local groups and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network — a national nonprofit group known as GLSEN that works to support LGBTQ students and combat bullying or harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Hall said the district-issued Safe Space stickers will not be affiliated with an outside group. Any previous stickers will be removed before school starts Aug. 19.
Asked what the approved stickers look like, Hall said the proposed design is black letters on a white background with a colorful border. He said they will say "Safe Space."
"There are a lot of resources we provide to make sure our students are safe in our buildings," Hall said, referring to anti-bullying curriculum, Mental Health First Aid and other options.
"This is just another way to communicate that if you need someone to talk to, there is someone here that can get you the support you need, whatever the situation."
In the Friday message, the district explained training required of employees who plan to display the sticker will set the expectations for engaging with students on sensitive topics, such as listening and referring them to resources including counseling.
For example, a teacher or staff may direct students to a school nurse or counselor. Students may then be linked with a mobile food pantry, the PTA Clothing Bank or other district-affiliated resources. The training will also spell out what not to do.
The district will clarify the purpose of a Safe Space sticker as part of the 2024-25 Student Handbook, which will be printed and distributed. Parents will be asked to read and sign.
The handbook will include this explanation: "While every SPS classroom is intended to be a safe space for all students, some staff may choose to display the district-provided Safe Space sticker on the outside of their classroom or office door. This sticker indicates that the staff person has been trained and is available to connect students to resources in a time of need."
In a short interview, Lathan said the district spent a lot of time reviewing what was in place and how to approach this issue, including talking to different employees and community groups.
She said schools are full of caring adults and the Safe Space sticker adds an extra layer.
"These people have agreed to participate in training and they've agreed that they will be willing to connect students to resources," she said.
The National Safe Places initiative
The district's revised approach to the Safe Space stickers has characteristics in common with the separate National Safe Places initiative, which exists in many U.S. communities including Springfield.
The national initiative designates specific schools, fire stations, libraries and other youth-friendly spots as Safe Place locations — which, in turn, display the yellow and black sign that reads "Safe Place."
A young person in crisis who sees the sign and needs immediate help or safety can contact the employee in a Safe Place, who has been trained to call a licensed agency to quickly connect a youth to pre-approved resources.
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