There’s a lot of teacher training that goes on about such topics, but I didn’t see a lot of practical follow through. There was a tendency to say, “Our kids don’t do that,” even when we would hear about locker room bullying in the same meeting.

I’m not sure how to improve this. Most of the teachers and students were very good at espousing the “party line” in discussions of diversity and tolerance, but their behavior did not always reflect this. I think that some direct education, some “hitting them over the heads” with a no-nonsense approach is a necessity; then, at least, it’s possible to create a common vocabulary and set of expectations for the school community. But I still think it’s most important for students to have teachers and administrators who act according to these expectations.