Northwest Classen High School administration shows anti-Gay animus

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		Northwest Classen High School administration shows anti-Gay animusxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The following is an email from Joe Quigley and is, among other things, an update of Joe Quigley, teacher
(Posted 2-01-01)

Here's the latest.

I am sending it to as many people as I can at once, even the big guns in the District. I think they need to see what is going on. So bear with me, there is much to say.

First, as I have said since 1997, if the District will not do right by Gay and Lesbian Kids for the right reasons (their welfare and education) then do it for the wrong one (saving its nether region for the possible litigation if a kid is harmed, drops out, or inflicts self injury because of either the treatment they received directly from others or because of the atmosphere that was created by the actions of employees of the district that either actively or tacitly condones it). To this end I have sent reports, attended committee meetings, took the chance by appearing before the board on more than one occasion (not knowing if I would have a job in the morning), and, the district would have to admit been patient and a gentleman with their every baby step in the right direction.

It does wear on you, but the district was actually, albeit slowly, learning. We will not go over the reprimand of 1999 other than to say administration actions were based on one known complaint about the positive poster. But remember it.

As part of the grievance settlement I agreed to follow the Faculty handbook on "posters" which only dealt with those hung in the hall, until the principal came up with a memo addressed to FACULTY AND STAFF which said that any and all posters to be hung in the classroom were to be okayed by the principal, and only those directly related to the teacher's curriculum would be considered.

That was September 20, 2000 with the memo dated September 14, 2000. TO THIS DATE (January 31) I am the only faculty member to have received this memo in spite of the principal stating (January 17) in the presence of witnesses and ON TAPE that everyone at the school had received it. Dutifully I have requested permission to hang posters in celebration of the various months that are commemorated. For October (Gay and Lesbian History Month) the request was denied because posters were too "one-dimensional". For November (Native American Heritage Month) the request was denied based on Native American sensitivity to Thanksgiving being that month, yet the school had an official Thanksgiving hallway display and various classrooms (none of whom had sought permission being unaware as the teachers were that they were supposed to) had theirs as well.

I did not think I needed permission for the Holiday Season, and so put up lights, a menora and a Kwanza poster. Nothing was said, nor was a reprimanded for not requesting permission issued.

Not long after Holiday break I was told I had to remove a quote from 1998 that I had in a small frame in my room wherein the director of student services at the time had, in light of two supreme court decisions, clarified the District's sexual harassment policy and informed us we had to protect Gay and Lesbian Students. My classroom is the only place in the District where this clarification was posted. It came, as far as I was concerned partly as a result of my persistence and was as much a trophy for me as it was a warning and citable policy clarification in school and a protection for the District in this regard as it was "published".

During January I requested permission in anticipation of February (Black History Month) to hang posters then. I not only received permission, but was told it would tie in well with Brotherhood Week when the school celebrated the diversity of the student body.

Door decorating is the big thing for that week. There is a contest to judge the best student decorated door. My third hour class did not express any interest in it until the last minute, and then could not arrive at a design. Not everyone was required to participate. In light of my work on the District's Diversity Committee and its decision during its meetings to include Gay and Lesbian Students in Diversity, I thought this would be a good educational opportunity. In accordance with the theme "Common Threads" I collected pictures of famous Gay and Lesbian people from Alexander the Great to Nona Hendrix being carefull to keep it multi-racial, multi-ethnic and gender neutral, included two relevant quotes from both Martin Luther King and his widow, laminated it in accordance with the wishes of the Director of High Schools and hung it for Brotherhood Week.

No complaints were registered either with me or the Office. Rather, I watched as one teacher explained who Lorraine Hansberry was to another teacher, and as students first approached with predictable laughter, but returned later to read the list and view the portraits with more interest than repulsion. This to me was education that fit nicely with the idea of a Brotherhood Week.

HOWEVER

I was told that the poster must come down because it did not fit in with the purpose of Brotherhood Week, that it was not done by students (it was not the only door hung with something a teacher put up, and was not a contest entry), and in spite of other classes sporting such door decorations as large Teddy Bears hugging big red hearts, my door seemed to be the only one not in synch with the theme.

Also, again in spite of no complaints being made, in light of some events of the last semester it was deemed that it must be removed because someone might complain.

Last semester, the beginning of the year, three of my female students wanted to transfer out of my room. Their complaints were understandable for students who thought that High School would be much like Middle School and thought I was "mean' where I was strict. They were also unused to my sense of humor and missed a lot of the kidding around that did not escape the other students. In meetings I attended the "personality clash" was the only expressed concern, but the administration held that my classroom was found to be unfriendly by them because of the many Gay things that were about although this was not expressed to me at any meetings with the parents. My classroom decorations were too "gay" which offended their Christian sensibility, and one parent found my "book display" offensive. Nevermind that during the time they complained about I was travelling to other classrooms not having my own room, and the "book display' did not exist. Their complaint was about my joking and "unfairness" but somehow it had now become Homo-Centered, and because this was a "complaint" from the fall it still counts for now and all future times. These students had their complaints remedied as they were transferred to other classes, so I question why this should control the informational posters hung on my door, or my choice of the Gay and Lesbian segment of our student population to include in our diversity celebration.The only complaint related to anything Gay that was brought to my attention was from a parent of a student who, although I did not have in my class entered my room between classes announcing, "I hate Fags". I had him sit at the back of my room presenting him with the alternative of my either writing him up (knee-jerk approach) and sending him to the office which would have been negative, or reading short biographies of three famous black men (the student was African-American) so he might learn a positive lesson that we need to be careful of careless speach as we do not know whom we might offend or debase. I thought it would be a more positive way of handling a situation, but it did not go well and I eventually gave up and wrote the referral. I took the poster down, but not until after I sat through the January 17 meeting where I got to witness and tape two administrators circuitously arguing to show that my not asking permission to hang my door poster was a violation of the grievance settlement. I questioned why I, as member of the school community, should think I would have to ask permission to take part in a school wide activity when no one else was held to such a requirement pointing out that the only reason we were at the meeting was because I chose to present students, both Gay and Straight with positive information about themselves and their friends (I question whether or not I alone was given the memo as a way to guarantee that in spite of the reprimand having been removed from my file, the principal had sought a way to retain the threat of termination thereby keeping the threat but merely substituting the means--reprisal for having filed AND won a grievance?)

When January 31 came around I hung my Black History Month door display: A list of about 60 or so people of African descent many of whom are in the curriculum; most of the students should be familiar with them. I made sure the list was neutral as far as Orientation with only a few including mention of any relation to Gay or Lesbian affiliations if that was their major contribution to western civilization. And so, Alvin Ailey is a dancer, Angela Davis is a civil rights activist and author etc. Some people who have just as much a right to be part of Black history as anyone else included in the list might be noted for opening a Gay book publishing company, or starting a Gay and Lesbian service center of some kind. Does being Gay mean they and their contributions are to be expunged from the record? With the vice-principal insisting that he knows we have Gay and Lesbian Students within our student body is it not sound pedagogy to let them know (especially if they identify as being Gay or Lesbian and are black) that there are positive role models for them within their own histories. Are we to forget Bayard Rustin existed and was not only the close friend of Martin Luther King, but helped him get the audiences he needed in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, and organized the celebrated March on Washington where Dr. King delivered the "I Have A Dream" speech that is so much a part of Black History?

Within 30 minutes of hanging the display, I was told it must come down, even though there had been no complaints.

The basis for this was that there were some identifiably Gay and Lesbian people on the list and someone might complain. At a later meeting a compromise was offered that if these references were removed the poster might be allowed to be rehung. It was thought that as the three students from the first semester had been removed from my room, and even though it was not their major complaint, their complaint was strong enough to justify that out of 1400 students, 128 of whom are mine, they controlled what information I can include in a Black History Month poster.

This is the wording of the Directive:

"I am aware that Mr. Weldon Davis has given you permission to post material related to Black History Month. The Material that you have posted however is in detriment of the classroom environment and cannot be allowed. You have been present in numerous (1) conferences where the students and parents (2) addressed their concerns of your posting and in their thoughts promoting the homosexual lifestyle (3). You have also been informed by me that this type of material is not related to the ninth grade curriculum (4) and inhibits your ability to perform your task as a ninth grade teacher(5). Students and parents (6) have complained in the past and I am comfortable in concluding that this type of material is, has, and will continue to negatively affect the classroom environment. Remove all materials relating to homosexuality from your room at this time."
signed

Problems:

(1) "numerous" implies a preponderance of conferences. There was ONE that I was part of. See contract about complaints
(2) unspecified number of parents and students along with "numerous" implies a ground swell. Even if the three students had complained this is not many
(3) What is the homosexual lifestyle, and how does a list of names promote it?
(4) Why am I the only teacher who is held to the requirement that only curriculum related material can be in my room and I am thereby uniquely limited in participating in school wide activities?
(5) Upon what is this claim based? Upon what observation? The remedied complaints of students that dealt with a personality clash cannot be used as a perpetual measure of my performance
(6) Student complaints again goes unspecified with the implied large number

If, in order to force a teacher to do something whose sole motivation for the action is an administrator's personal, political and religious beliefs while ignoring the work done within the district, often as its agent to ensure the safety and education of its Gay and Lesbian Students and in the process help avoid potential litigation, one must resort to hyperbole, insinuation, generalizations and ungrounded evaluations, then it lacks merit. The State standards Of Performance and Conduct for Teachers says, among other things:
"The teacher must demonstrate a belief in the worth and dignity of each human being."
"The teacher must strive to help each student realize his or her potential as a worthy and effective member of society.

In fulfillment of this obligation to the student, the teacher:

a) shall not deny the student access to varying points of view...........
b) shall not on the basis of race............or SEXUAL ORIENTATION, unfairly

1) exclude any student from participation in any program
2) deny benefits to any student, or
3) grant any advantage to any student

The Oklahoma City Public Schools has as one of its goals, "to encourage respect for others"
I hold that this is what I have endeavored to do with any positive information I have found an opportunity to make available to students AND the District. I feel those who are evaluating me on the basis of alleged student complaints and complaints not even delivered are not taking these Standards into account, but adding some of their own.

It has become obvious to me that my administration reacts to only the following: fear of bad press and the noisy parent, even if a minority of one. As long as there are not even ripples on the way to retirement what is best for students is only considered if they are like the majority or those in charge.

I therefore am suggesting to all those who read this that the Gay community, having as it does children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, neighbors, friends and selves in the school system gather their allies and make the complaints that will get the administrators to pay attention and not lip service to the Gay and Lesbian students in our school system (Oklahoma City). If it takes only one or two biased people to deny positive information being made available to students, perhaps complaints the other way will have an effect.

In this case, not only is the Gay Community dismissed, but the African American Community as well. My administrators are acting to control the celebration of Black History Month by limiting those we can acknowledge who played a part in it and expunging those not like themselves.

The Gay Community DOES vote. And I know I may be hurting myself with this, but being a gentleman has not done much in getting the District to acknowledge the existence of, seriously addressing the needs of, or showing respect to our Gay and Lesbian Students. So, as a burnt gentleman who finds there are those who are using my politeness as an excuse for inaction, might I point out that there is going to be a bond issue vote, and every vote is needed --EVEN OURS.

The Key Communicator meetings are supposed to address the needs of the community to help insure passage of a much needed bond issue. Well, we, our children, nephews, nieces, grandchildren, friends, and selves are part of that community, and since noise is heard and respected, we need to make the noise.

told you this was long. thanks for reading it. I do go on. But, please, think seriously about this. I am afraid a student will have to be hurt, or, God forbid killed before the district pays attention. IT WILL BE TOO LATE. How many kids are already lost to the street without education or have hurt themselves already?

ENOUGH
joe quigley

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