Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 16:53:53 -0700 From: Jean Richter Subject: 5/13/99 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. CO: Commentary on the Littleton massacre 2. NY: "Soundbite" input needed for governor's safe schools task force 3. FL: Teacher removed from newspaper receives first amendment award 4. Good press on schools issues from various states ================================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 15:40:33 -0400 From: Eileen Raymond Commentary, by Dr. Eileen B. Raymond,Teacher Education Department, SUNY Potsdam Broadcast on WSLU (NPR, Canton, NY), on May 4, 1999 I, like many of you, watched and listened with horror and sadness the events unfolding on April 20 in Littleton CO. I listened to the interviews with Columbine High School students that day, hoping to gain some understanding of how such horrific events could occur. What I heard, in that first day before the events became colored by media rehearsal and speculation, was a description of a group, the Trenchcoat Mafia, as "outcasts", as "scum," as "freaks" (to use the students' own words). I heard students describe a school social structure in caste-like terms, with the "jocks" at the top, and the "outcasts" at the bottom. I heard the shooters and their friends described as loners, as kids who kept to themselves, as kids who appeared to like it that way. I heard teachers admit that even though one or both of the shooters had been students in their classes, they really didn't know much about these students, and much less about the families they come from . . . and I have heard such stories before, in other schools, and other communities. I have become increasingly concerned over the past two weeks about the focus of our public discussions regarding this event. I find very short-sighted the single-minded focus on guns, the media, or computer games as the problem. While each of these certainly plays a role and must be addressed, it seems far too easy to choose something outside ourselves as the source of this evil. As I reflected on these events and discussed them with my teacher education students, I concluded very strongly that these events and others like them are based in the feelings of worthlessness many of our kids develop over their years in school. It is the daily harassment and "taunting" that convince many kids that, individually, they aren't very worthwhile. Most just withdraw and die a little every day. Some change who they are to become acceptable to whatever group seems to be able to provide them with some validation, a sense of belonging. A very few respond explosively. The current calls to identify and intervene earlier with youth with the most explosive potential implies that all the others don't matter very much. As a parent of two sons and three stepchildren, I have seen this cost in their own lives. Each of them has encountered verbal and emotional harassment, and even physical assaults, in the halls of the public schools they have attended, in five different states. In one school, it was the football players who targeted one of these precious children for abuse. None of our children has shot up a school, but each of them has been harmed greatly by school environments that have diminished their spirits, that have not provided a community where each of them is of value. Depression, underachievement, even dropping out of school and thoughts of suicide ... these are the fruits of such environments. How long can we as parents, teachers, and community members stand by and watch this loss of human potential during these important years of childhood and adolescence? To me, the real issue seems to be how do we assure that this inhumane treatment of kids stops. When teachers, administrators, coaches, and parents do not take seriously the notion that a safe school and a safe community is one in which there are no put-downs of any kind, and where each and every remark that belittles another requires a response, we will keep losing the precious human potential that is our kids. Telling the "victim" of a put-down just to ignore it, or to change themselves to prevent such hurtful notice in the future, blames the victim. Every time an adult hears a racist, sexist, ablist, homophobic, classist, or anti-religionist remark, and says nothing, we tell the kid who said it that such things are OK . . . and we say to the kids at whom these remarks are directed that such attacks must be valid since they go unchallenged. When I consider all the issues involving guns and media, the problems seem much too large for any one person to make a difference. However, when I consider the impact I can have in the life of a child by affirming that young person as a unique and valuable person, and when I respond immediately and forcefully to verbal abuse of any kind and do not shrug it off with "kids will be kids," I realize I CAN do something . . . something very important. As students return to their classes in Colorado this week, as our own North Country kids head off to school each day, I keep thinking about my kids, your kids, about all of our communities' kids. I urge each of you to join in this work, until the day when every child, every person, is valued for the unique human being he/she is! This is something we ALL can do! Eileen B. Raymond, Ed.D Associate Professor Department of Teacher Education home: 63 E. Main St. SUNY-Potsdam Canton NY 13617 Potsdam NY 13676 315-267-2788 (work) 315-379-0513 FAX: 315-267-4802 e-mail: raymoneb@potsdam.edu ============================================================================== From: SARATOGANY@aol.com Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 22:16:38 EDT Subject: Urgent Request Regarding NYS Gov.'s Task Force on School Violence Message from: The Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS, PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020 E-mail: saratogany@aol.com Tel: (518) 587-0176 Hello, Today I had a brief conversation via telephone with Dr. Theodore A. Feinberg, a member of the newly named Lt. Governor's Task Force on School Violence. Dr. Feinberg is the senior psychologist for North Colonie Central School District (near Albany). I expressed my concerns about the safety of students who are actual or perceived GLBT. He seemed to have and understanding of this problem and suggested that I send him information in the form of "sound-bites" that were one or two sentences. The Task Force will begin a series of 10 public hearings throughout NY State starting possibly next week and continuing through June. I have been seeking the date, time and locations of these public hearings. As of yesterday (5/5/99) the Lt. Governor's office states that the schedule is nearly ready for publication and that the first hearing will "likely" be next week somewhere in the Southern Tier or the Mohawk Valley area. I am pressed for time and need your help with the aforementioned "sound-bites". It would be a great help if you would send me a few sound-bites you can conjure up, keeping in mind school GLBT harassment and violence. I will review, compile and format for a mailing to Dr. Feinberg and other Task Force members. PLEASE put "SOUND-BITES" IN THE SUBJECT of your e-mail response. The Task Force members list will be sent to you via another e-mailing within the next few days, hopefully with detailed contact information. Additionally, I will send the public hearing schedule as soon as it is received. Below you will find a list of members as it appeared in the Albany Times Union on April 16th. If you see the hearing schedule published please forward to me and I will send out on the list. These public hearings should be a great opportunity to speak out and be heard regarding harassment and violence against actual or perceived GLBT students. Request this message be forwarded. John Myers Director of Operations and Programs =============================================================== (Governor's Task Force on School Violence Named) ALBANY (NY) April 16-- Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings and two other Capital Region residents were among 20 people appointed Thursday to a Pataki administration task force to recommend ways to rid schools of violence. The task force, to be chaired by Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue, will include the Democratic mayor, who also served as an Albany High vice principal; Theodore A. Feinberg, senior psychologist with the North Colonie schools; and Antonia Cortese, first vice president of New York State United Teachers. Other members of the group are: Frank Mickens, principal of Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn; Charlotte Lacey Sawyer, superintendent of Newfane Central Schools; Theodore Petersen, principal of Poughkeepsie City Schools; Sandy Sunderland, New York state PTA; Chemung County Family Court Judge Judith O'Shea; Dennis Swanson, president and general manager of WNBC-TV in New York; Cayuga County Sheriff Peter Pinckney; Town of DeWitt Police Chief James DeLapp; Queens District Attorney Richard Brown; Yvonne Parker of Rochester, student at Bishop Kearney High School; Charlene Stroughn, curriculum specialist, Roosevelt Public Schools; Carol Eisenberg, superintendent of West Hempstead schools; Dawn Jawrower, Yonkers teacher; Brian Cechnicki of Canajoharie, president of the junior class at Sharon Springs High School; Mary Lou Greene, Mohawk High School teacher; Mary Ellen Haynes, principal of Westbury Middle School; and Catherine Marie A. Thomas, social worker from Rochester. =============================================================================== Associated Press, May 6, 1999 First Amendment award goes to teacher removed as newspaper adviser PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - A high school teacher who was removed as adviser of an award-winning student newspaper because the publication probed school and teen-age issues was named Tuesday as winner of a national First Amendment award. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] =============================================================================== Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 23:52:19 -0700 Subject: GLAADAlert - May 6, 1999 From: "Channel Q News" GLAADAlert May 6, 1999 The GLAADAlert is the bi-weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation [non-schools-related items omitted] Survey Says: Public Schools Can Support Gay & Lesbian Youth Three articles adroitly depicted the challenges and successes that face gay students, teachers, and sympathic administrators in their attempts at living honestly and safely. A quartet of pieces appeared within the pages of the Glen Falls (NY) Post on April 25 and 26. These articles, two of which shared the byline of Judy Bernstein, ['Toughing It Out" and "Talk Seen as Tool to Stop Abuse,"] did helmsman's work in educating the general public to everyday harassment faced by lesbian and gay students and giving sharp focus to students who have been subject to verbal and physical abuse at the hands of their peers. Not content to merely catalogue this crisis Bernstein describes the work of NY-based Coalition for Safer Schools, offering statistics and resources to better understand the issues facing students. [these articles can be viewed at http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Alerts/States/NewYork/glens.html ] The Tampa Tribune, in its May 1 issue, featured "Teaching a Lesson in Tolerance," by Rick Barry. This piece followed the story of Jane Gallucci, a Pinellas County School Board member, who, after careful consideration of the facts, became the swing vote for extending protections to gay and lesbian staff in the district, despite death threats and a campaign waged by a local Christian radio station. Barry's article sensitively gives voice to the frustrations Ms. Gallucci experienced in throwing her full support behind this measure, and concludes that "she knows she did the right thing." [this article can be viewed at http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Alerts/States/Florida/tolerance.html ] The taffeta begins to rustle as high school prom season commences. Erika Niedowski and Alice Lukens of the Baltimore Sun covered this perennial from a unique perspective. In "Alternative Prom Planned for Same-Sex Couples" (April 23), they reported that Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays is sponsoring a prom with the theme, "Under the Rainbow." This article is infused with the earnestness of the students themselves who have planned the prom independent of the Howard county school system. Niedowski and Lukens point out, however, that the PTA and school board support the event, which is the first same-sex prom to be held in the county. [this article can be viewed at http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Alerts/States/Maryland/prom.html ] Contact: oSteve Bennett, Managing Editor, Glens Falls Post Star, Box 2157, Glens Falls, NY 12801, fax: 518.761.1255, e-mail: poststar@global200.net [SARATOGANY@aol.com adds: also contact Judy Bernstein, Reporter, Post Star, bernst@poststar.com] oS. Bruce Witwer, Managing Editor, Tampa Tribune, fax: 813.259.8080, e-mail: tribletters@tampatrib.com oWilliam Marimow, Managing Editor, Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., P.O. Box 1377, Baltimore, MD 21278, fax: 410.332.6977, e-mail: letters@baltsun.com The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation in the media as a means of challenging homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. Contact GLAAD by e-mail at glaad@glaad.org or by phone at 213.658.6775 (LA), 212.807.1700 (NY), 415.861.2244 (SF), 202.986.1360 (DC), 404.876.1398 (Atlanta) and 816.756.5991 (Kansas City) Feel free to pass GLAADAlert on to friends, family and associates! Report defamation in the media and breaking news of interest to the LGBT community by calling GLAAD's Toll-Free AlertLine! 1-800-GAY-MEDIA (1-800-429-6334) Visit GLAAD Online at http://www.glaad.org "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. GLAADAlert may be freely distributed and reprinted in all forms of media under the condition that any text used carry the full attribution of "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" (without the quotation marks). Make sure that you turn off all signatures and extraneous text. TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" (without the quotation marks). Make sure that you turn off all signatures and extraneous text. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of combating homophobia and challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ================================================================================= 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/