Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 16:44:43 -0800 From: Jean Richter Subject: 12/16/99 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. CA: Fountain Valley GSA promotes tolerance 2. England: Tory leader sacked for opposition to Clause 28 3. NY: More on new harassment policy in Shenendehowa school =================================================================== Los Angeles Times, December 2, 1999 Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA, 90053 (Fax 213-237-7679 or 213-237-5319 ) (E-MAIL: letters@latimes.com ) ( http://www.latimes.com ) Promoting tolerance Student Alliance Group at Fountain Valley High School provides safe place to discuss sexuality, without reprisal. By ANDREW WAINER Members of the Student Alliance Group at Fountain Valley High School say they have won wide acceptance from students and administrators. This is a different picture than that painted by the Gay-Straight Alliance Club at El Modena High School, which is suing the Orange Unified School District for preventing them from meeting on campus. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] Question: How do you feel about clubs, such as the Student Alliance Group, meeting at schools? Leave us your thoughts on our Readers Hotline at 965-7175, fax us at 965-7174 or e-mail us at hbindy@latimes.com. Please include your name and city where you live. ================================================================================= Electronic Telegraph, December 3, 1999 (E-Mail: et.letters@telegraph.co.uk ) ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ ) Hague sacks rising star over ban on gay teaching By Andrew Sparrow, Political Correspondent William Hague last night sacked one of the rising stars of his frontbench for opposing the controversial law preventing councils from promoting homosexuality. Shaun Woodward, 41, the junior environment spokesman, was dismissed because he refused to accept the pro-Section 28 policy agreed by the shadow cabinet. He insisted that the matter should be a conscience issue and that he should be allowed a free vote when the issue came before the Commons next year. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] ================================================================================ From: SARATOGANY@aol.com Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 06:59:12 EST Subject: Schenectady Daily Gazette: Shen schools define acts of harassment To: SARATOGANY@aol.com, bdm3g@gateway.net Msg fwd by: The Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS, PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020 Email to: saratogany@aol.com "The Actual or Perceived GLBT Student Protection Project" ========================================================= This message has been distributed as a free informational service for the expressed interest of non-profit research and educational purposes only. Schenectady, NY Daily Gazette http://www.dailygazette.com/ 12/3/99 Shen schools define acts of harassment Code of Conduct describes all prohibited student behaviors By PAM ALLEN Gazette Reporter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- CLIFTON PARK - A detailed definition of "harassment" has become part of Shenendehowa Central High School's Code of Conduct, but administrators say the new language had nothing to do with a recent incident in which a gay student was suspended for attacking students who allegedly taunted him. The new definition lists harassment based on "sexual orientation" among the high school's prohibited behaviors. It also gives examples of what the district considers harassment. Prior to the new harassment definition, the school's Code of Conduct referred only to "sexual harassment." Copies of the descriptions were scheduled to be distributed this morning to all of Shenendehowa's 2,800 high school students. An announcement was to precede the hand-outs, but a district spokeswoman said she didn't know the nature of the announcement. "I'm not sure if they're going to read it or just announce what it's about," said Kelly DeFeciani. A news release from the Coalition for Safer Schools of New York State pointed to the September incident involving the 16-year-old gay student as the reason for the change. The boy's mother spoke openly at a school board meeting, and protested that her son had been harassed repeatedly, but was the only one punished by the district. She pleaded with the board to adopt a policy prohibiting harassment on the basis of sexual orientation. DeFeciani said the school district had been buttoning-up the policy long before the incident occurred, and administrators had been working on the new language since before the start of the 1999-2000 school year. "It didn't prompt [high school Principal Robert Melia] to move any quicker. This was not done because of the incident. They've been working on it," she said. In fact, DeFeciani said, release of the new descriptions was timed to coordinate with the high school Respect Club's Survival Series, which involves panel discussions on zero tolerance, multiculturalism and ethnicity. The panels begin next week. The district used a harassment policy recently instituted by Guilderland Central High School as the basis for its harassment descriptions. The descriptions define harassment as "epithets, comments, gestures and any other behavior . . . that demeans, intimidates, threatens, of- fends or annoys another based on gender, race, color, religion, cultural background, ethnicity, sexual orientation, cultural and/or socioeconomic background, organizational roles, physical, emotional and/or mental condition or abilities." Depending on the nature of the harassment, students may be disciplined at a Level 2 or Level 3 infraction. The former includes such punishments as cutting classes, forgery, gambling, intimidation and harassment. Disciplinary action may include parent conferences, peer mediation, suspension, community service or detention. The latter involves the filing of a police report or a possible Person in Need of Supervision application, or referral to out-of-school services. Among the offenses, it specifically lists harassment based on sex, race or religion. "It basically defines how the high school will enforce the district's policy," DeFeciani said. The document also urges students to report anything that could be perceived as harassment to a staff person, teacher, counselor or administrator. From: SARATOGANY@aol.com Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 07:13:15 EST Subject: The Saratogian: Harassment rules revised (Shen) To: SARATOGANY@aol.com, bdm3g@gateway.net Msg fwd by: The Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS, PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020 Email to: saratogany@aol.com "The Actual or Perceived GLBT Student Protection Project" ========================================================= This message has been distributed as a free informational service for the expressed interest of non-profit research and educational purposes only. Saratoga Springs, NY The Saratogian http://www.capitalcentral.com/ Fri, Dec 03, 1999 Harassment rules revised By MICHAEL BONENBERGER CLIFTON PARK -- As rules governing harassment shift in area schools, sexual orientation is a factor that is appearing more often. At Shenendehowa High School, sexual orientation has just been added to district's Code of Conduct as a category for harassment. This comes a few months after a gay student reacted physically to harassment from others. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] Reporter Robin Ambrosino contributed to this article ================================================================================ Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) These messages are archived by state on our information-loaded free web site: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/