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Whoa, part II


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August 27, 2003
Dear Mr. Quigley,
Please know that this district does not discriminate against any student. That includes gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students.
Sincerely,
Bob Moore,
Superintendent,
Oklahoma City Public Schools

Oklahoma City Public Schools

Oklahoma State Department of Education

ACLU of Oklahoma

ACLU: American Civil Liberties Union

PFLAG: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

GLSEN: Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network

Lambda Legal

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The following is an email from Joe Quigley
(Posted 9-10-03)

(9-10-03) CRY HAVOC,AND LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR
ENOUGH!

I spoke to the District's legal office. I basically gave the contents of what was in yesterday's emails. There seemed to be some honesty and understanding. I sAY "there seemed" because I thought I saw some reality, or I may have been hoping so hard I convinced myself OF IT. At any rate, The attorney told me to have Dr. Miller call her.
Because I had two classes back to back before lunch, and as I couldn't find her before school I wrote a note, "You need to call Tammy Carter in the District's legal office today". I signed it and put it in her mailbox.
At the end of the day I found a memo in my mailbox:

TO: Mr. Joe Quigley ( I got a "joe"at least this time)
FROM: Dr. Terri L. Miller (initialed)
DATE: September 10, 2003
RE: Note to call Tammy Carter

I have given your note to Mr. Weldon Davis since he is my immediate supervisor. Thank you.

This beggars the question, "WHY?"

She was the one who wrote the new restriction about organization existence as a requirement for displays, although Mr. Davis did initial it. And, she is the one who said there was no such thing as a Gay high school kid.

The stall begins. But remember:
1) As was attested to by the union rep who sat in on all but one meeting, Mr. Davis had stated repeatedly at our little get togethers it was necessary to have a district wide policy. There'd be no problem with one of those.
2) Besides inventing policies as needed to thwart any attempt to provide positive GLBT role models, Mr. Davis has looked for every way to level a charge of insubordination by attempting to make the case that I ignore district policies. These usually had no weight, and in the case of trying to overextend the intent of one policy so that it could cover anything one might want it to, it lead to it finally being seen that in spite of the memo explaining Paragraph J being addressed to all faculty and staff he had in reality given it only to me.
One would assume a man so intent on reprimanding another for ignoring policies, would follow policies.

Well, in a letter dated August 27, 2003 the Superintendent made it clear you could not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, thereby giving Mr. Davis that district wide policy that should have made things so problem free.

And here the policy is clear, and look at the stall enacted along with that new requirement for organizational existence. In order NOT to follow the policy, yesterday's memo from Dr. Miller THROUGH Mr. Davis, they came up with an end run, and will in all probability go back and forth with who should decide what as a way to waste time.

Is this the example administrators, arms of the Board and Superintendent, are allowed to set for faculty and staff. They will hound someone to promote bigotry, but they will then thumb their noses at the School Board (we thanked them and let them know we were doing so), the superintendent ( who has also been thanked not only in public meeting, but in emails and hard copy and in the newspaper) and the policy looking for a way to get around it even if that means they have to invent a post facto policy to nullify this. These are my leaders and examples?
This doesn't bother the Super or the Board?

And, this is the worst part.
We have it in writing that GLBT Kids are included in the harassment and bullying policy as well as the non-discrimination policy. BUT, if these kids do not exist? You cannot discriminate against something that just isn't there.
TO AVOID HAVING WHAT THEY DO CALLED FOR WHAT IT IS, DISCRIMINATION, THEY WENT FOR ERRADICATION.
Rather than accept these kids as they should be accepted, they have declared them
nonexistent. In spite of the Superintendent and the school board including them, in spite of their existence sometimes begrudgingly accepted throughout the documentation, in spite of Mr. Davis having in the past professed a degree of support of them and his acceptance of their existence, Dr.Miller has declared them not to be, and Mr. Davis will either refute this stupidity or employ it all in an effort to get through October and making the issue moot.

Gay History Month (brevity) begins on October first. Obviously the attempt is in the works to not only declare GLBT students don't exist, but to deny them THEIR month.
ENOUGH.
The first of October is a THURSDAY.
Let's not just sit back and celebrate history done by others when OKCPS GLBT Students are crapped on, dismissed, declared null and void and given the Amish shunning from hell.
LET's make that history.
Regardless of what is finally resolved with the district as to whether or not the policy clarification is a disgusting betrayal of our students, or if it has legs, or if administrators can ignore policies they don't like or find transparent ways around them, or of they find the Superintendent and the Board so beneath contempt they can ignore what he has put in writing and they support, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING BIG. WE NEED TO MAKE HISTORY.
We need to meet.
MY HOUSE
THIS SATURDAY SEPT. 13
11:00 AM
We need to plan a big event.
If you have any connections with any heavy weight organizations both local and national; if you know politicians andother influentialpeople,likeclergy and union BRING THEM

i do not promise the house is clean, and if you want nosh you will need to bring it. I am tapped. we don't get our first paycheck of the year until Monday and we had to stretch two weeks out to four (don't even ask about the summer school money lost to inflated deductions). I will email my address to those who do not know it, but not in an email like this.
If you know it, spread it
joe

 

 

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