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The following is
an email from Joe Quigley, sent Tuesday, February 12
(Posted 2-13-02)
(UPDATED
2-15-02)
After weeks (months
actually) of biting my lip and sitting on the events,
I
do have something to report from the mediation I was
involved in.
BOT, this is only the first thing.
Items like inclusive language for GLBT students has
yet to be worked out,
and there is some consideration that has to be given
to certain federal laws
and Titles (like VII and IX) which if ignored or
glossed over could
potentially affect some federal funding, thereby
making this inclusive
language necessary in spite of fears of political
suicide (which is nothing
more than abandoning GLBT students to the limbo of
inclusion up to the
personal likes and dislikes of Oklahoma City Public
School employees in order
to ensure the re-election, political ambition, and
high paying adminstrative
positions of those who, in all reality, do not have
their priorities straight
and forget schools are about students, not big houses
and fancy cars for the
select, and sometimes socially and professionally
incestuous few).
Along with this was the obvious continuation of
equating all things Gay
and Lesbian to sex (a discussion that will hopefully
educate) and questions
related to material being "age appropriate"
as the general attitude in this
burgh is that in spite of heterosexual children
having books, events,
curriculum topics and the like being taken for
granted as necessary for their
maturation and the development of relationship skills
(things like dances,
prom royalty, Home Coming coupling etc.), high school
students are "too
Young" to handle "Homosexuality". This
includes the fear that books addressed
to Gay and Lesbian high school students, may be too
heavy, concentrated on
sex, or should only be introduced when the students
are "old enough" to
handle such weighty topics.
I have been told this before, and it has always come
across as saying that
once a student has failed at being a well adjusted
heterosexual, then it is
all right to let them try something else, but not at,
or connected to school
in any way.
The possibility of litigation must be considered, as
it is documented
that in spite of attempts to make sure students and
teachers are informed
beyond a shadow of a doubt that Gay and Lesbian
Students are covered by
existing policies, the district has been very
reluctant, if not completely
unwilling to do just that claiming that as these are
students in the schools,
then, of course people know they are included.
Unlike, in spite of the actually listed protected
class of "religion" there
was a conscious effort after September 11 to stress
that Islamic students
were so covered.
I find this slightly inconsistent.
Also, in the area of litigation, NWClassen has an
expressed and well
articulated policy, after the vandalism of my
Brotherhood Week poster being
reported by the principal to school district
administration (an action wisely
taken by the principal who knew his investigation, no
matter how honest,
would be, in all likelihood suspect) and in light of
all the documents given
to the school board over the years, and the stream of
e-mails sent to Dr.
Weitzel and Sandy Garret (the very same that have
been sent to all of you,
and which people have read on GAYOKC.COM), as it goes
in the area of child
abuse and sexual harassment, the last person notified
as you go up the chain
of command becomes the party responsible, it may be
of necessity that those
in the highest positions, aforementioned, take
whatever steps necessary to
exonerate themselves from future responsibility, as
well as protect all
administrators and staff by making the inclusion of
the policies clear as
there can be no blissful ignorance in this regard
But, none of this is new to any of you. It has been
the consistent drum
beat since the upcoming anniversaty of March 11 when
all this began in 1997
because a simple request was bureaucratically
dismissed.
What is new, and what has been decided?
Today, the mediator, the principal (my new best
friend) and I chose a wall
near the cafeteria because if its volume of traffic
and the students milling
there during lunch on which to hang a two panel
lockable, glass fronted
bulletin board on which is to be posted community
events of interest and
relevance to students. So, if a local church is
having as dance or religious
function, or any other community based group has
similar functions their
notices can be hung there during the week that it is
to take place.
This would include events within the Gay and Lesbian
Community that are
aimed at students, such as YGLA functions, and, I
would imagine, events
sponsored not only by the center, but the Church of
the Open Arms, GLSEN,
PFLAG, the Center and Herland provided they are for
students and not adults
or the general community population.
I am sure common sense has us understanding the
bulletin board's purpose.
Of course, actual guidelines will have to be drawn
up, such as those that
allow for certain things that obviously should be
included, those that people
are not really sure of, or those things because they
violate the mission of
the schools (like hate mongering or bigotry) should
not be allowed.
I am not so naive as to think these guidelines will
be an easy thing to
draw up, but most assuredly GLBT students will not be
excluded based on false
or misleading reasons, or those based solely on
ignorance and a mean
spirited, ant-student reluctance to grow.
If this were to be the case, then nothing has been
accomplished except a
ploy based on assumed stupidity, and we have come too
far to allow that to
happen.
But, here's an idea that someone, individual or
group, may want to consider.
Bulletin boards cost money. The lack of availability
of the necessry
funds could delay the bulletin board's purchase and
installment. What if
people from our GLBT Community, or a group within the
community were to
purchase such a bulletin board? I would imagine that
would not only speed up
the process, but just as the Myriad is now the COX
Center, the pew you sit on
in church has a stranger's name on a little brass
plaque because they paid
for it, and some obscure stretch of road proclaims it
was adopted by some
litter minded group, a "donated by......"
sign would not be out of the
question, and a service would be rendered to the
school, and our gratitude
would be expressed.
Whether or not this is done, there will be a bulletin
board. It will
just be a question of when.
Over the next few days catalogues will be consulted
for the price of
these things, and if anyone is interested, I could
supply that information.
But at any rate, progress now has a material and
definite starting point.
The other issues will take a little more time, but
the prognosis is good.
Joe Quigley
UPDATE - 2-14
for anyone who may be interested in donating
the "community" bulletin board for
NWClassen as described in a previous e-mail, I found
that the best size is 36"by48" and in a
catalogue it goes for about 279. Of course, to buy
directly from something like office Depot, it would
probably be cheaper.
This would be an enclosed,
lockable, two panel bulletin board. A donated one
would expedite the installation, remove the excuse of
time, and would be quite a coupe to have a GLBT
person or group donate it to NWClassen. Let me know
if I am dreaming, or if anyone would be interested in
persuing this. Waiting for the school or district to
come up with the money, especially since this is part
one of the settlement to resolve the tacit anti-Gay
student attitude, could mean a delay that would push
this into the mists of mind.
joe quigley
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postings from Joe Quigley:
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