News in Brief: A National Roundup

After rejecting a similar proposal last fall, the Broward County, Fla., school board last week formalized its partnership with a local advocacy group that will help train teachers and administrators to recognize and take action against harassment aimed at gay and lesbian students.

In a 6-3 vote, the board approved the plan to offer voluntary sensitivity training to adults in the school district. The group, a local chapter of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, will not have access to students. The board had rejected last fall's proposal because it did not make clear that students and student groups would not be included in the program.

Several students in the district of 260,000 have spoken before the board recently to describe how they have been harassed—taunted verbally or had rocks and bottles thrown at them— because they are, or were...