Inevitably, within our school communities as within our society, some parents and caregivers may bring attitudes distorted by bigotry. Needless to say, this can have a toxic effect on school culture; for example, if parents or caregivers direct their children not to play or spend time with certain students. Open denigration targeting certain students (or adults) may occur in areas where parents and caregivers gather (for example, while waiting to meet their children).
Such negative messages often target students from marginalized groups, such as those who are:
- transgendered
- LGBTQ (or who are perceived as such)
- living with learning disabilities
- from racialized populations
- economically disadvantaged (or who are perceived as such)