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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 are emails from Joe Quigley
(Posted 9-16-03)

(9-13-03) I spoke with the legal department yesterday. Their job is tell him what the law and policies say, it is his supervisor who must insure he does it. So I called to make an appointment with the Superintendent. His secretary took my phone number so he could reach me. And then she did somethoing no one had ever done before, she suggested I fax the most recent memos so the Superintendent could review them.
But the summary of the conversation was that Mr. Davis told a whole different story, so it is my word against his (do his memos count?) She would not tell me his version of things though.
Now I am not saying Mr. Davis has a history of lying. That would be too strong. Let's just say he tells a different story about things to more than one person depending on which version makes his life easy at that moment. Sometimes he tells two versions to the same person if time has elapsed. Once when he met alone with my union area Rep he made a particular statement. At the next meeting he claimed never to have said anything in a certain regard turning to the very man he had said it too stating that Ed knew he had never said that. Sometimes he just forgets the "misspeak".
So I can see why the attorney would accept his story over the written and signed documents.
Here's the latest. Draw your conclusions.

When I arrived at school for the first day at the beginning of September I submitted a flier for YGLA. It is the same flier that has hung on the Community bulletin board since its presentation to Mr. Davis. When it did not go up while other things had, I resubmitted it. I received it back in my mailbox with a note that Davis had passed it on to Dr. Miller. This is new as such submissions go to the head of Student Council who has a student put it up.
I wrote anote to Davis:
IS DR. MILLER IN CHARGE OF BULLETIN BOARDS?
His response"
ON THIS ONE SHE IS! wd
The woman who says there are no Gay kids in school is in charge of the one bulletin board where this flier is allowed. Since ahe has had the flier for a week or two, and has not put it up. would it mean it is not going up. She has decided not to hang what has hung in the past without a problem.

I previously sent out a copy of Dr.Miller's memo denying permission to have a Gay History display since there were no clubs (new policy) and her verbal insistance on such a denial as there was no such thing as a Gay high school student.
An announcement was made on Friday during afternoon announcements that any student interested in putting up a Gay History Month Display should she Dr. Miller.
I found this memo in my mailbox.
TO: Mr. Joe Quigley
THROUGH: Weldon Davis (not initialedthis time)
FROM: Dr. Miller (initialed)
DATE: September 12, 2003
RE: EXHIBIT FOR GLBT MONTH

Interested students will be producing an educational exhibit for GLBT History Month. As the Dean Of Instruction, I will supervise this activity. My interest is effectively serving all students. Consequently, please note that only work from students will be exhibited.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Couple of things.
This new approach which goes against her first memo requiring club existence is a new practice. It is the annual dance of trying to find a way to prevent the display by seeming to be in favor and supportive. In the past it was assigned to the Social Studies Dept. that expressed no interest in this or any other display. Once it had to be only a small essay on the Bulletin board which theprincipal edited leaving out some important information.Another time it was an agreement to make an announcement that had to be edited so amny times and was subjected to so many after meeting and agreement requirements that it was not made until April. There was paragraph J etc.
Now the students must report to the person who says they do not exist.
Perhaps her hope is that since there is no club there will be no kids to make a display.
The other thing is to make a Month like this off limits to a teacher. Will Black teachers be told only students can put things up in February? Will the teachrer who puts up her annual Native-American History Month display be told she cannot?
The purpose of such months is to educate the Students. Seems odd that the person with the information is forbidden to present it.
As long as there is a display equal to those of other groups, that is a good thing. It is a win. Provided it is not controlled to the point that it is miniscule and in name only.
But if all other months are not treated the same way, then it will be obvious that once again censorship is the thing.
Will be interesting to see if this practice is extended to others months, or employing the excuse that this took too much of her time so the rest can be done by teachers.

She should not even be involved in this except for her being my evaluator. Hostile work environment?

 

 

(9-15-03) If over the weekend you received a rather angry email this is why.
I reread a lot of the documents and emails on Saturday.I was struck by this:

The district has resisted inservices for faculty and staff about the needs of Gay (brevity) Students.
Last year, after agreeing with the union that in lieu of a Gay History Month Display an announcement would be made in October concerning information about Gay/Straight Alliances, without consultation with me or the union, the principal modified the agreement after the fact adding a condition that the announcement would be made only if at least two students were willing to sign the announcement. This was one of those new procedures since teacher often submit announcements with only their names and not students'.

Either a student was to out him or herself to the hostile principal, or I was to give him at least two names.
Create a hostile atmosphere and then require that students come out into it.

This year the new procedure is that students must go to a totally new person whom they do not know, and may have never seen, and have no way of knowing what level of trust is there and out themselves in order to have a display. The person to whom they must out themselves is the one who says they do not exist. Imagine the support and the lectures they will get from that one.

Coming out is not an easy thing. Educated people would know that (Mr. Davis was given a video 3 years ago about the stresses experienced by GLBT students in school, but he has chosen not to watch it). It is insensitive and a betrayal of the students that they are placed in a position that they must do an extremely difficult thing, coming out to a total stranger in an atmosphere that is demonstrably hateful, in order to get information.
Intellectual blackmail? Extortion? Or simply assuming that students will be afraid to come out and, therefore, there is a good guarrantee that since students probably won't they do not get information.
The purpose of schools is to educate and supply information, not find "clever" ways to deny it.
While district even states that it wants students to become thinkers, and that the district allows differing points of view, here you have a school administration requiring certain students do something that is extremely difficult, the most difficult thing for many Gay people, in order to get self affirming information.
I have a dog, It sits and begs for treats. These are students. This should not be the case.
Any other students held to such an impossible requirement? It is insensitive, uninformed and a betrayal of these kids.

But it is allowed.
It pissed me of...
Joe

Again, in a hostile atmosphere, if the students want something they must out themselves.
How cruel, and how uninformed these people are.

 

 

(9-15-03) It is the opinion of the legal department that this singular treatment toward a GLBT display is following the law.
Screw the kids. Let's play the game of bigotry because it is becoming all too obvious that the Superintendent's letter is ineffective and board policy is a sham. It seems plain that the GLBT kids are covered unless with no objection from the district their equality can be dependent on how well administrators can find ways to get around it. Even if necessary outing is the pressure applied. If these people really learned about these kids they would find that what they are being asked is the most insensitive thing you could be asking.
Now On a lighter side. The Keystone Kops are at it again.

It is all so Pavlovian. Hang it and they will come.
Because Dr. Miller not only made her statement that there were no Gay Kids in high school, pointing out that this was her personal belief and so outweighs the superintendent's word and that of the district Board, and did so in ear shot of a student and a teacher, along with the superintendent's now obviously bogus letter of August 27 I placede a two piece4 sign on my door saying, "GLBT students exist and you have wworth".
On the bulletin board inside my room i hung the YGLA flier.
On Monday(09/15/03) when I got to my classroom I found I had forgotten my keys and so asked another teacher to open my door.
I immediately noticed that someone had been in my room between the time I left at 3:45 pm on Friday and returned at 7:10 am on Monday and stated so out loud. Because my room faces the parking lot and the May Avenue, I keep my blinds down.The one in the back of the room was pulled up.
Both the two piece sign was off my door as well as the YGLA flier. I guess the legal actions of the administrators can only be done on weekends without the chance of getting caught.
I cannot help but think of a fly rubbing its little front legs together in glee thinking what I will think when I see things are gone. Its the MO.

joe

 

 

(9-15-03) Due to my room having been entered on the weekend and personal property, albeit cheap, home made and not of monetary value, was removed I have decided to make a formal report. During the summer people had entered the school, and as the blind to my window in the back of the room was pulled up, it is possible someone was making it possible for someone else to enter, or may have been scared off.
There were other posters besides the YGLA flier and the one on the door saying"GLBT STUDENTS EXIST. AND, YOU HAVE WORTH". None of these were touched.
In the past years my classrooms, both this one and the previous one across the hall, have been entered after school hours with things removed or vandalized. There was the Advocate article in 2001 about the Gay and Lesbian heroes and victims of 9/11 that was taken from my door. Others had hung all those pictures of heterosexual couples so I thought ONE on those who were GLBT would be balance. Someone else didn't think so.
There was the Diversity week poster from which someone had removed one of the pictures after having entered my room after hours.
We all lost the Community Bulletin Board plaque for a while, and now this latest.
I think it is obvious it is someone's objection with the content considering only those things that deal with GLBT people in a positive way are removed.
So I think because of the pattern, it is important to report this apparent break in, not for the value of those things taken, but because of the obvious message being sent.
Could escalate.
Joe Quigley

 

 

(9-16-03) FIRST:
Wednesday, September 17 is SEE YOU AT THE POLE DAY. That's when students gather at the flag pole in front of school and pray for those of us they think need it.
Interestingly, although students read the announcement twice on Monday and Tuesday, it was written by a teacher (no student names needed like last year's GSA announcement just had to have) who happens to be Christian and who organized this. Who better to do this than one accepting of his or her religion, in a position to teach, and wants to do it?
How could you deny him this?
I, as an openly Gay man and, therefore one who needs to be controlled as I have apparently forgotten my place at the little people's table, can have no involvement in the Gay History Month display in spite of the obvious that I have all kinds of material at school, can identify with the students and want to do this.
Instead it is taken over by the woman who said that there are no Gay students in high school (again, the failed heterosexual ). Perfect choice.
No special treatment here.
I can only suppose that had Dr. Miller professed it was her personal belief that there was no God, she would be the one in charge of SEE YOU AT THE POLE.

SECOND:
Put a copy of this in the school police officer's mailbox today.

Officer (name)

I am filing a formal complaint.
On 09/15/03 upon entering my room at 7:10 am I was immediately aware that someone had been in my room between my leaving on Friday, 09/12/03, and my return on Monday.
My blinds are kept closed, and were so on Friday. The blind in the back of the room was raised on this morning.
I also noted a flier for the local YGLA had been removed from a bulletin board and the two piece sign stating, GLBT Students exist, and you have worth" was also gone.
This is not the first time my classroom has been entered and specific things removed.
There were events in room 213 investigated by the then Area Administrator involving vandalism to a poster, as well as the removal of an article on 9/11 and other instances.
In 210 someone has entered the room on more than one occasion.
The target of these entries is specific, and sends a very pointed message. Only those types of things with positive information for GLBT students are removed in spite of other things around them.
Remember last year this extended to the Community Bulletin Board from which the "Gift Of" plaque was removed.
Clearly there is a problem if someone feels safe enough to enter a room and remove specific targeted items.
This could escalate.

Therefore, I am making a formal report.
Some may feel this is not important and may attempt to dissuade you from filing a report, but it is my call as a citizen and public employee.


Volume II is growing.
Joe Quigley

 

 

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