LGBTQ plus Students' Sense of Belonging and Harassment: Results from the 2017-2018 School Survey on Crime and Safety

Research on LGBTQ+ students and their sense of belonging in public schools is necessary; minoritized students deserve to feel safe, validated, and valued in a space where they belong. Using the 2017-2018 School Survey on Crime and Safety public-access data, we align variables to Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems framework. This study explored the relationship between having an affirming sexual orientation or gender identity student club and the frequency of student harassment in high school and the predictive ability of student, teacher, and school policy factors on harassment. We found that schools with LGBTQ+ accepting school clubs had higher incidence of sexual orientation and gender identity harassment. Additionally, student involvement in restorative circles, teacher trainings, and some school contexts predicted harassment. Implications and future directions for research are discussed.