Anti-Slur Policy

The San Francisco Board of Education adopted a policy regarding the use of slurs by students and employees. This policy views the use of "slurs against any person on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability" as unacceptable behavior (Board Policy 5162).

Exercise for Establishing Classroom Rules Have students brainstorm names they have heard called. List all suggestions on the board Discuss the following categories, and group names accordingly: racial, sexual, ethnic, sexual orientation, religious, ability, sexism Educate all students that all name calling involves prejudice, and is equally harmful. State that none of the listed names is acceptable in your classroom, and that name calling will not be tolerated. Explain why, and discuss possible consequences, as found in the Student Handbook. Discuss how students can become allies of targets of name calling.

Use of slurs is incompatible with the mission of San Francisco Unified School District to provide a safe, educational environment for all students.

Slurs are not always acknowledged as being painful and oppressive. Using any derogatory term attacks a person's self esteem. Further, use of these terms by students teaches that these verbal attacks of others are acceptable.

Our responsibility as educators includes creating a learning environment that respects diversity. This means educating about the harm name-calling causes. It also means imposing consequences for name-calling. The SFUSD Student and Parent/Guardian Handbook prescribes clear disciplinary guidelines to be implemented when slurs occur.

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You can control
classroom behavior.

By reacting immediately
to slurs, students will feel
safe in the classroom.

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