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		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 xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The following is an e-mail from Joe Quigley
(Posted 10-4-01)

I do not make this stuff up.

     This past fall, before students reported to classes, I saw on my class
rosters the name of the brother of the girl whose sole complaint in October
1999 was the reason for the removal of my Gay History Month poster and my
eventual (but resolved) reprimand. He was also the son of the man who
appeared on Fox-25 News then misrepresenting the poster and me, and
announcing that he had been informed by an administrator that I was to
receive a reprimand in the morning before I was even aware of this.
     Therefore, seeing this name on my roster, and wishing to avoid any
potential problems, both real or imagined, I wrote two notes to this
student's guidance councilor requesting his schedule be changed. Student
schedule changes are not uncommon at the beginning of the school year because
of errors or sports team scheduling, and as this would be a simple lateral
move to the same subject, at the same time just in another class, it could be
easily accomplished.
     However, the councilor did not respond, and as she was often out of her
office, I turned to my administrator to suggest this change be made.
     I had nothing against the student, as I did not know him. I was just
interested in avoiding any complication, and, after the excitement of the
last two years, and knowing how much time and energy it took out of both
sides, Thought it would be best to avoid potential problems.
     It seemed like common sense to me.
According to the principal's own account, after ascertaining that the student
no longer lived with his father, but with his grandmother, he called her,
reminded her of past events as a way of explaining my concern, and asked if a
schedule change was all right with her.
     This is not the usual way of making an uncomplicated schedule change. It
was not a grade adjustment, program change, or a move from regular education
to special. It was a simple schedule change. Such a phone call is not the
norm.
     The grandmother had no objections as she was somehow aware that I was a
good teacher, and did not see any potential problem as long as I did not
bring up a certain topic.
     The principal's next step was to call the student into the office,
bringing up the potential for a problem, and asking the student if he had any
objection to staying in my class.
     Upon reporting to my class after this meeting, and being called on as he
had his hand raised, the student informed me in front of the class that Mr.
Davis had asked if he had a problem with being in my class (which he didn't),
and that he was informed by him that if there were some "problem" he was to
report it to the principal.
     Not only did the principal not take the steps that could have prevented
any complications, he put an idea in this students head, the seed that there
would be problems and that he was to report directly to the principal.
     It was tantamount to having a known spy in the room. Not only was the
list of who was to evaluate whom changed by Mr. Davis so that he would be my
evaluator, he set up a system by which part of my evaluation would be based
on the reports of a student that common sense would have removed from my room
when first suggested.
    In any educational environment there is bound to be if not more than one,
at least one idea, concept or topic that anyone at any time might find
personally objectionable, and if we were to limit what is taught by the fear
of the possible objection to information, then we would teach nothing.
     The Oklahoma City Public School District recognizes this as it states in
the beginning of REGULATION I-10-R1:
     PRINCIPLES OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH REQUIRE TOLERANCE
OF SOME OFFENSIVE IDEALS AND OPINIONS.
    Principal Davis denied my requests for any type of Gay and Lesbian
posters or book displays in my room for the month of October, preferring
instead to put the onus of a real decision on to the Chair of the Social
Studies Department. What better way to avoid the decision and any related
pressure than by having someone else put in the position to make it.
     I could not betray my principles on the matter, nor could I ignore any
work and progress made within the district since working some times with,
sometimes against the district since March of 1997. In certain areas, and to
a certain extent there had been growth within the district on things related
to Gay and Lesbian Students, and I thought it would be a betrayal to both the
District and the Students if I were to totally ignore this month.
    And, so it was I resolved to mention that October was Gay and Lesbian
History Month, and leave it with that (except wearing something tastefully in
the rainbow motif).
    However, on Monday, October 1, my first class happened to be the one with
the principal's spy in it, and I choked. I chose, rather than give this
student something to report, to say nothing at all beyond making their quote
of the day something from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.
    I felt the pressure of censorship and much to my shame censored myself,
thereby denying information to all my students, some who could have needed
it, for the sake and convenience of this one student, and myself.
   I resolved that on Wednesday, after having my second group of students on
Tuesday (because of block scheduling we see students every other day), and
without making any changes that would make the two days markedly different, I
would simply write,
"OCTOBER IS GAY AND LESBIAN HISTORY MONTH" in the upper right hand corner of
my chalk board no larger than 8 1/2 x 11.
    At the beginning of class on Wednesday the student raised his hand, and
when called on said,
     "Mr. Quigley, would you erase that from the board? It offends me
personally."
This was followed by his beaming around the room at the other students.
     I told him that he needed to understand that in this world there is
always something that will offend us personally, but that we have to be
accepting of the idea that our personal objections do not necessarily have
the power to control information. Something will always be objectionable to
someone.
    By way of illustration I asked him if, for example, I found his often
disruptive behavior objectionable would he feel obligated to make the
necessary change?
We should not be afraid of ideas.

As I left school today I found this memo from Mr. Davis in my mailbox.
     "[student] indicated to me this morning that you and he had an exchange
in your English 9 Class about your writing on the chalk board "October is Gay
and Lesbian History Month". Please see me this afternoon after school or
tomorrow at your convenience to discuss this situation.
Thank you for your cooperation."

I feel as if we neither had an "exchange" (educational euphemism for
argument), nor was there a "situation", and "your writing on the chalk
board," to somehow imply that I wrote it big and in the students' presence.
    The principal was made aware of certain possibilities, but did not act
when he could have. Instead of taking the measures to prevent, he, obviously,
chose a course if action that would foment.

    This student should not have been given the power to censor my class, by
the mere threat of his presence. A threat that's borne out by the fact that
on October 1, 2001 he was able to do just that.
    The principal was negligent, and in his own words willfully neglectful of
his duty, as he was asked to avoid the possible "situation", choosing instead
to remind the family of past events, putting the idea of a repaet not only in
the mind of the grandmother, but the student himself, and assigning the
student the position of my evaluator, thereby creating a hostile environment
within my class.
I, as a teacher, should have no imposed negative relationship with any of my
students, but clearly in this case the principal arranged for one.
Joe Quigley
NWClassen

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