Date: Fri, 03 Apr 1998 14:45:22 -0800 From: Jean Richter Subject: 4/3/98 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. NY: Student protection bill needs state senate sponsors 2. CT: GLSEN's Kevin Jennings to speak in New Haven ============================================================= From: SARATOGANY Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 20:31:13 EST To: jjmyers@skidmore.edu Subject: NYS Assembly Bill A-1998: Student Protection (GLBT content) To ALL recipients Message from: the Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS PO Box 2345 Malta, NY 12020 tel: (518) 587-0176 E-mail: saratogany@aol.com (I am sorry about the e-mail "dups") April 3, 1998 Dear Colleagues, I have enclosed a copy (see below) of NYS Assembly Bill, A-1998, for your review and support consideration. This bill has been lingering and now is located in the Assembly’s Education Committee. To date this bill desperately needs NYS Senate sponsors (none presently). Assemblywoman Christensen is the bill originator. I am sure she would be happy to hear from supporters of this bill. Please call, write, e-mail, telephone or fax your NYS Assembly and Senate representatives. Tell them you would like their support for this legislation. Ask your senator to sponsor or co-sponsor this bill. Passage of this bill will help ease the daily pain of thousands of students and provide for within state redress. Wide dissemination and distribution of this information to individuals and organizations, is requested. Sincerely, John Myers ======================================================================= ASSEMBLY BILL 1998 TEXT Text of New York State Bill A-1998 S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 1998 1997-1998 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y January 21, 1997 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CHRISTENSEN, JOHN, RAMIREZ, COOK -- Multi- Spon- sored by -- M. of A. COLMAN, CONNELLY, DINOWITZ, ENGLEBRIGHT, GOTT- FRIED, HOYT, JACOBS, KATZ, MATUSOW, PHEFFER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to a policy on sexual harassment THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3201-b 2 to read as follows: 3 S 3201-B. WRITTEN POLICY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT. 1. THE COMMISSIONER IN 4 COOPERATION WITH THE STATE COMMISSIONER OF HUMAN RIGHTS SHALL ESTABLISH 5 A MODEL WRITTEN POLICY TO DEAL WITH SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 6 SUCH POLICY SHALL INCLUDE, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE FOLLOWING: 7 A. A DEFINITION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AS FOLLOWS: 8 SEXUAL HARASSMENT. AS USED IN THIS POLICY "SEXUAL HARASSMENT" MEANS 9 UNWELCOME SEXUAL ADVANCES, REQUESTS FOR SEXUAL FAVORS, AND OTHER VERBAL 10 OR PHYSICAL CONDUCT OF A SEXUAL NATURE WHEN: 11 (I) SUBMISSION TO SUCH CONDUCT IS MADE EITHER EXPLICITLY OR IMPLICITLY 12 A TERM OR CONDITION OF AN INDIVIDUAL`S ACADEMIC OR EXTRA-CURRICULAR 13 STATUS, 14 (II) SUBMISSION TO OR REJECTION OF SUCH CONDUCT BY AN INDIVIDUAL WHEN 15 SUBMISSION OR REJECTION IS USED AS THE BASIS FOR ACADEMIC OR EXTRA-CUR- 16 RICULAR DECISIONS AFFECTING SUCH INDIVIDUAL, 17 (III) SUCH CONDUCT HAS THE PURPOSE OR EFFECT OF UNREASONABLY INTERFER- 18 ING WITH AN INDIVIDUAL`S ACADEMIC OR EXTRA-CURRICULAR PERFORMANCE OR 19 CREATES AN INTIMIDATING, HOSTILE OR OFFENSIVE ACADEMIC OR EXTRA-CURRICU- 20 LAR ENVIRONMENT, OR 21 (IV) SUCH CONDUCT IS BASED UPON AN INDIVIDUAL`S SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND 22 HAS THE PURPOSE OR EFFECT OF UNREASONABLY INTERFERING WITH AN INDIVID- 23 UAL`S ACADEMIC OR EXTRA-CURRICULAR PERFORMANCE OR CREATES AN INTIMIDAT- EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets { } is old law to be omitted. LBD03581-01- 7 A. 1998 2 1 ING, HOSTILE OR OFFENSIVE ACADEMIC OR EXTRA-CURRICULAR ENVIRONMENT. FOR 2 THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBPARAGRAPH THE TERM "SEXUAL ORIENTATION" SHALL 3 MEAN HETEROSEXUALITY, HOMOSEXUALITY, BISEXUALITY OR ASEXUALITY, WHETHER 4 ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED. HOWEVER, NOTHING IN THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL BE 5 CONSTRUED TO PROTECT CONDUCT OTHERWISE PROSCRIBED BY LAW; 6 B. EXAMPLES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT; 7 C. PROCEDURES FOR FILING AND RESOLVING COMPLAINTS OF SEXUAL HARASS- 8 MENT; 9 D. THE DESIGNATION OF A PERSON BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PROCESS AND 10 RESOLVE COMPLAINTS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT; FOR WHOM THE DEPARTMENT AND THE 11 DIVISION OF HUMAN RIGHTS SHALL PROVIDE TRAINING IN DEALING WITH SEXUAL 12 HARASSMENT COMPLAINTS; 13 E. A LISTING OF THE ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES AVAILABLE; 14 F. A LIST OF PENALTIES TO BE IMPOSED; 15 G. A REQUIREMENT THAT THE WRITTEN POLICY BE CONSPICUOUSLY POSTED IN 16 ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND DISTRIBUTED TO ALL FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS 17 ANNUALLY; 18 H. A REQUIREMENT THAT THE ANNUAL ORIENTATION FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF 19 INCLUDE A DISCUSSION OF THE DEPARTMENT`S POLICY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT; 20 I. PROVIDE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PEER SUPPORT AND DISCUSSION GROUPS 21 FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT WITHIN EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL; AND 22 J. A PROHIBITION AGAINST RETALIATORY ACTION WITH RESPECT TO ANY 23 COMPLAINANT AND AN OVERSIGHT MECHANISM TO ENSURE NO RETALIATORY ACTION 24 IS TAKEN. 25 2. ANY BOARD OF EDUCATION HAVING A POLICY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN 26 EFFECT ON THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION SHALL SUBMIT SUCH POLICY TO 27 THE DEPARTMENT FOR ITS REVIEW AND APPROVAL WITHIN TEN DAYS AFTER THE 28 EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL COMPLETE ITS REVIEW 29 OF SUCH PRE-EXISTING POLICIES WITHIN THIRTY DAYS OF THEIR SUBMISSION. 30 SUCH PRE-EXISTING POLICIES SHALL BE SUSPENDED DURING THE DEPARTMENT`S 31 REVIEW. DURING SUCH TIME THE PARTICULAR SCHOOL DISTRICT SHALL COMPLY 32 WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION UNTIL THE DEPART- 33 MENT ISSUES AN APPROVAL OF SUCH PRE-EXISTING POLICY. THE DEPARTMENT 34 SHALL APPROVE ANY SUCH PRE-EXISTING POLICY IF THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES 35 SUCH POLICY IS AT LEAST AS STRINGENT IN SCOPE AND SUBSTANCE AS THE MODEL 36 POLICY ESTABLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS 37 SECTION. 38 S 2. This act shall take effect the first day of January next succeed- 39 ing the date on which it shall have become a law except that any rules 40 or regulations necessary for the implementation of this act on its 41 effective date shall be promulgated on or before such date. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ============================================================================ From: GLSENCT Date: Fri, 3 Apr 1998 00:20:51 EST Subject: Fwd: Executive Director Kevin Jennings to Speak in New Haven From: GLSENCT Subject: Executive Director Kevin Jennings to speak in NH Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 23:20:44 EST Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) Kevin Jennings, GLSEN Executive Director, to Speak in New Haven On Wednesday, April 8, at 3:00 pm, Kevin Jennings will be speaking at Yale University's Davis Auditorium. If you have never heard him speak, this presents a wonderful opportunity to see GLSEN's executive director in action. Kevin is passionate, articulate, and moving. If you have heard him before, I am sure you will agree that he has a remarkable ability to motivate an audience--and this would be a great chance to re-energize your activism. Please join us on Wednesday for what I am sure will be an inspirational message. There is no cost. Davis Auditorium is located on Prospect Street between Grove and Trumbull Streets (where College Street first becomes Prospect). I hope to meet a good number of GLSEN Connecticut members and supporters! Thank you. Mike Fiorello Co-Chair, GLSEN Connecticut ================================================================================ Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/