The following is an email from Joe Quigley
(Posted 5-11-02)

I suppose it was just a matter of time, but on 05/09/02 I noticed that the plaque on the Community Bulletin Board was gone.
     I wrote the following to the principal, and as I am forwarding it to Dr. Weitzel, Sandy Garrett, and a legal person or two, I hope something is done.
   Interesting that it disappeared right after the anti-bullying bill was signed.
I am VERY interested in how FAR the district is willing to go beyond the lip service usually given to ALL STUDENTS by the pious repetition of "leave no child behind" and all the other platitudes that are thrown about to give the impression that the District actually does care about all students  to truly mean what they say.


TO        MR. WELDON DAVIS, PRINCIPAL
FROM    MR. JOSEPH QUIGLEY, TEACHER
RE        BULLETIN BOARD PLAQUE
DATE    05/10/02


          ON 05/09/02, AS I WAS PASSING THE CAFETERIA, I NOTICED THAT THE PLAQUE BEARING THE WORDS 'GIFT OF GAY AND LESBIAN ALUMNI OF OKLAHOMA PUBLIC SCHOOLS' HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD.
          THIS WOULD HAVE HAD TO TAKE TIME AND EFFORT DUE TO THE PLAQUE'S PLACEMENT AT THE TOP OF THE BOARD AND ITS BEING EPOXIED IN THAT PLACE.
          NOT ONLY IS THIS AN ACT OF VANDALISM, BUT IT COULD VERY POSSIBLY BE SEEN AS AN ACT OF HATE AND INTOLERANCE TOWARD A SEGMENT OF THE STUDENT BODY AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY. THERE ARE GAY AND LESBIAN STUDENTS PRESENTLY ATTENDING NWCLASSEN, AS WELL AS GAY AND LESBIAN PARENTS OF STUDENTS, SIBLINGS AND OTHER RELATIVES CONNECTED TO THIS SCHOOL.
          SUCH AN ACTION SENDS A MESSAGE THAT GAY AND LESBIAN PEOPLE ARE NOT WELCOME HERE AT NWCLASSEN. TO NOT ADDRESS THIS PROPERLY IS TO SEND A FURTHER MESSAGE THAT SUCH ACTIONS ARE TOLERATED, IF NOT CONDONED.
          I AM STRONGLY URGING THAT THE PROPER ACTION BE TAKEN IN THIS REGARD SO THAT EVERYONE ON CAMPUS IS AWARE THAT THIS SORT OF BIGOTTED ACTION IS NOT ALLOWED HERE AT NWCLASSEN.
          I WILL PURCHASE A REPLACEMENT PLAQUE AND AFFIX IT MORE SECURELY. IN THE MEANTIME, I HOPE THIS IS LOOKED INTO AND DEALT WITH SO THAT THIS EXCLUSIONARY AND THREATENING MESSAGE IS NOT ALLOWED TO STAND.

    I am sure there will be the usual clucking of tongues and vague statements that are meant to fool people into believing the public schools here are to educate everyone, but I will not be surprised by the excuses used to express the regret that nothing can truly be done.
    Perhaps if the disrict got off its political good-ole-boy- bar stool, and wrote sexual orientation into policies so there would be no doubts, those without the proper back bones would at least be able to hide behind these policies in order to do the right thing
 joe quigley

 

Previous postings from Joe Quigley:

• Quigley - Response from the Principal (Posted 4-30-02)
• Quigley - A written verbal reprimand (Posted 4-27-02)
• Quigley - update on The Bulletin Board (Posted 4-22-02)
• Donated bulletin board gets 'special' visitors at NW Classen (Posted 3-29-02)
• Bulletin board, gift of GLBT Community, installed at NW Classen (Posted 3-7-02)
• GLBT Community presents bulletin board to NW Classen High School (Posted 3-5-02)
• Progress at NW Classen High School (Posted 2-13-02)
• Joe Quigley writes a letter to the Daily Oklahoman (Posted 2-12-02)
• Principal Davis does the right thing (Posted 1-29-02)
• Teacher alleges anti-GLBT vandalism done by NW Classen employee (Posted 1-25-02)
• Lambda Legal gets it wrong (Posted 1-13-02)
• January is Gay and Lesbian Recruitment Month (Posted 1-08-02)
• OKC schools censor GLBT websites (Posted 12-22-01)
• Joe Quigley & the Nativity banner (Posted 12-19-01)
• Our votes are important but we're not? (Posted 11-13-01)
• NW Classen High School censors GLBT Heroes of Sept 11 (Posted 10-23-01)
• Northwest Classen update - Fri, Oct 5 (Posted 10-7-01)
• NW Classen Update: being the latest installment in the ongoing (unfortunately) chronicle of deliberate harassment by Principal Weldon Davis in his campaign to get openly-Gay teacher Joe Quigley fired (Posted 10-4-01)
• Davis to Quigley: "No Gay and Lesbian History Month at NW Classen" (Posted 9-27-01)
• Latest developements at NW Classen (Posted 9-18-01)
• NW Classen principal intensifies harassment of Quigley (Posted 9-13-01)
• NW Classen Update - Tues, Aug 21 (Posted 8-22-01)
• NW Classen Update - Mon, Aug 20 (Posted 8-21-01)
• Joe Quigley's news from NW Classen: April 26, 2001(Posted 4-26-01)
• Northwest Classen High School administration shows anti-Gay animus (Posted 2-1-01)
• Joe Quigley, teacher - Part Five (Posted 12-8-00)
• Joe Quigley, teacher - Part Four (Posted 12-7-00)
• Joe Quigley, teacher - Part Three (Posted 12-6-00)
• Joe Quigley, teacher - Part Two (Posted 12-5-00)
• Joe Quigley, teacher - Part One (Posted 12-4-00)