A Message for the New School Year
With the new school year upon us, it's time to reaffirm every student's right to learn in a welcoming environment!
We are in the midst of back-to-school season as a new semester begins. For Dracut public school students, this Wednesday will be the first day of classes. It's a time that can be exciting as well as anxiety inducing. The shenaniganery of summer gives way to the routine of education as we approach autumn towards the end of September.
Growing up, I always looked forward to starting a new school year. After a couple months off, I was itching to get back into a routine. I wanted to see friends, return to club activities, and learn new things. As time went on and I climbed the K-12 ladder, however, the excitement dampened while anxiety intensified. Would old friends remain friendly? Would the new teachers be kind or impatient? Would I be able to maintain my grades in order to get scholarships for college? Could I balance my after school activities, homework, hanging out with friends, and some much needed rest in-between without burning out? (Time management isn't just a student struggle, either. Many years later and I'm still figuring out how to juggle things while fumbling from time to time.)
It's a fairly common anxiety to experience. For LGBTQIA2S+ students, though, that anxiety has added layers of complexity. School can be a safe space or it can be a source of acute stress. Educators may not be particularly literate regarding queer issues or how to properly support gender variant youth. Various U.S. states are openly hostile to gay, trans, and queer students with a variety of harmful policies enacted at local and state levels. Thankfully, Massachusetts continues to offer legal protections to our most vulnerable and marginalized children and teenagers. But basic legal protections do not automatically create welcoming and affirming spaces of learning. That requires concerted effort and commitment by our local communities and public school systems.
Trevor News
We know that queer youth with at least one supportive adult in their life are 40% less likely to attempt suicide. For young folks who do not have a safe or accepting household, school can be the one place they find solace. It may not be a direct teacher; it can be a club advisor, school librarian, guidance counselor, nurse, or even a kindly janitor. We also know that schools with explicit rules condemning LGBTQ+ bullying have lower rates of bullying incidents and suicide attempts by queer youth.
Anti-Bullying Policies in School and LGBTQ+ Young People | The Trevor Project | 1 October 2025
Every child deserves to learn in a space that is safe to be their authentic self. Education should be conducted in an affirming place where a student is never worried they won't be accepted or supported by the adults in their life. They deserve to enjoy their youth, with all the messiness and joy therein, without fear that being somewhere on the queer spectrum excludes them from security, self-expression, and/or friendships. This goes, too, for children raised by LGBTQ+ parents or guardians who deserve to see their families reflected in the books they read or the films they see.
With all this in mind, we here at Rainbow Dracuteers would like to share a message to the students of today getting ready to shoulder their backpacks once more:
Rainbow Dracuteers wish you a wonderful start to the new school year!
We hope you find your classrooms welcoming, your teachers curious, and your peers kind. Kindness, in particular, is much needed nowadays. Kindness towards others unlike ourselves, and a kindness towards our own self. It's likely, in today's political climate, you've heard adults in your life speak cruel, unkind things. Grown-ups acting in ways you always hear youth chastised for. (A double standard, certainly.)
Being kind, however, isn't just a nicety. It is a deliberate modus operandi; a conscious choice to bring intentional softness and compassion to a world that is already difficult to be in--nevermind the challenge of growing up in!
You deserve a gentler, kinder world. You deserve mature adults that offer you the support you need to thrive. You deserve an education that is based in evidence, taught ethically, and promotes critical thinking. You deserve a healthy environment. You deserve kindness, joy, and camaraderie.
Always remember that you are a whole, beautiful, unique human being. The totality of you is a universal miracle made of stardust, generations of ancestors, and idiosyncratic cultural experiences. Education should never principally be about grades; it is about learning. It is about knowledge and understanding to widen your conception of the world and your place in it.
This 2026-2027 school year, we hope you will keep these three things in mind as the semesters roll on:
・Remember that being able to test well is a skill in itself and not an indication of your intelligence or cognition. Countless scholarly folks, from Einstein to Darwin to some of the very educators who teach you now, never tested well but engaged meaningfully in the actual matters of academia and learning. Your grades are never an honest reflection of your capabilities. Focus on understanding, curiosity, and comprehension rather than the letter inked at the top of your assignments.
・Time moves faster than you think. (This is a gem you've likely heard from many an older person, with your definition of old likely to vary and horrify us olds...) If or when you get overwhelmed, take a moment to breathe. Center yourself. Ground yourself in the present moment, in your present body, in your present location. Stressful times will pass--and similarly, it is only in the now you can enjoy your school days. Prioritize not just your grades, but your friendships. They are just as important and formative as your studies. And for those who struggle to make friends--this, too, shall pass. You will find your people. Try afterschool activities that interest you to meet others who enjoy similar hobbies. Look into inclusive online spaces to socialize safely with potentially distant friends like TrevorSpace. Be yourself and bring open kindness when meeting others.
・There are always, always, always adults and peers ready to support you. It can be difficult to ask for help or find the ones to speak to, but do not hesitate to reach out to someone if you need help. That could be a formal figure like a guidance counselor or family doctor, or it could be an informal peer, mentor, or sibling. Organizations like ours, GBPFLAG, The Trevor Project, Welcoming Schools, McVagly, and more are always available to provide resources to LGBTQIA+ folks in need, both young and old. There are neighbors you've never met who would support you if they knew you needed help. Fellow students happy to be an ally. Educators ready to listen.
Whether you are along the LGBTQ+ spectrum or an ally, we hope this semester arrives with welcome and continues joyfully in the coming weeks.
For some more practical tips for our LGBTQIA+ students, checkout last year's back-to-school post with some evergreen suggestions:
Kaye Crawford
We’re here for you. Get immediate crisis support. Connect to a crisis counselor 24/7, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the U.S. via text, chat, or phone. Our trained counselors understand the challenges LGBTQ+ young people face. The Trevor Project is 100% confidential and 100% free.
P.S. Dracut Old Home Day is right around the corner on Saturday, September 12th from 9AM to 5PM. We are happy to say we will be tabling again this year! In addition to some resource handouts and freebies (stickers, pins, etc) we will also have some beautiful lawn signs for our Rooted in Dracut initiative that Dracut residents or business owners are free to take and put up in their yard! Come by our booth, say hi, and checkout all our wonderful goodies. See you then~
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