Date: Thu, 22 Feb 1996 21:39:47 -0500
From: culliton@handel.jlc.net (Penny Culliton)
Subject: Merrimack Education Coaltion Press Release

>Date: Thu, 22 Feb 1996 16:44:42 -0500
>From: RLKottwitz@aol.com
>Subject: Merrimack Education Coaltion Press Release
>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>February 16, 1996
>
>EDUCATION GROUP OPPOSES POLICY OF DISCRIMINATION IN MERRIMACK
>Resulting Censorship Violates First and Fourteenth Amendments
>
>For more information, contact:
>Roseann Moore, President, Merrimack Education Coalition
>(603) 424-1536
>
>Merrimack, NH - The Merrimack Education Coalition (MEC) supports the parents,
>students, and teachers who filed a Constitutional challenge against the
>Merrimack School Board yesterday in US District Court.  As a community-wide
>organization dedicated to maintaining and improving the quality of our public
>schools, we believe that the anti-gay Policy 6540 passed by the school board
>on August 14, 1995 has violated our Constitutional rights.  We are appalled
>that the school board has subjected the taxpayers of Merrimack to a lengthy,
>expensive court battle over an issue most people in town strongly oppose.  In
>addition, the policy already has led to alarming changes in the course
>materials that teachers select, and what topics they allow students to
>discuss in class.
>
>BANNING GREAT LITERATURE
>After reading the complaint, Roseann Moore, President of the MEC, expressed
>concern for the broad range of literature that has been taken out of the
>schools since last August.  "We said last summer that book banning would be
>the first step in the day to day implementation of Policy 6540.  We had no
>idea the faculty and administration would ban the plays of Shakespeare, such
>as Twelfth Night.  Great works of literature are now inappropriate for our
>students to read - because they have gay characters and somehow that might be
>a positive commentary on homosexuality.  The school board has deprived our
>students of the opportunity to read and discuss great works of literature
>simply to shield students from ideas the school board wishes to suppress.
> The MEC opposes this policy in the strongest possible way."
>
>RESTRICTING ACCESS TO INFORMATION
>A video biography of American poet Walt Whitman was not shown this year.  The
>high school newspaper was censored.  A CBS News program was censored in a
>high school course on journalism, and a portion of an AIDS prevention video
>was censored before being shown in health classes.  "In every other town in
>America, students have access to these books and other resources," observed
>Benita Knight, Vice President of the MEC.  "In Merrimack, the school board
>limits the rights of our students to receive information and discuss ideas.
> We believe that critical thinking and free access to knowledge are essential
>to the educational process."
>
>LIMITING DISCUSSION
>Another outcome of Policy 6540 is that teachers now limit and restrict
>classroom discussions when the topic of homosexuality arises, and must
>provide incomplete information about historical figures such as Alexander the
>Great.  When discussing Arthur Miller's The Crucible, teachers must curtail
>discussion of contemporary examples of the scape goating described in the
>book.
>
>FAILING TO COUSEL
>The restriction on referring students to any counselor or organization that
>presents homosexuality in a neutral way also causes great concern among many
>parents.  "School should be a safe place for our children," according to
>Moore.  "All students must enjoy the freedom to learn without suffering from
>harassment and ridicule by their classmates and teachers.  Students also must
>feel comfortable that the faculty and staff are available and supportive when
>they have problems.  The ban on referrals means that only anti-gay counselors
>and organizations will be available to students seeking help."  The ban also
>violates the codes of ethics of all major organizations of counselors,
>teachers, and mental health professionals.
>
>DIVIDING FAMILIES
>Family values and parents rights play a significant role in this problem.
> The policy divides families in cruel ways, particularly when a family member
>(father, mother, aunt, uncle, brother, or sister) is gay.  When the schools
>discuss homosexuality only in a negative light, they send a terrible message
>to a youngster with a gay or lesbian relative.  The conflict between the
>intolerance of the school policy and the familial bonds of love and kinship
>can create enormous stress for many children.  The policy truly violates the
>rights of parents who wish to instill high moral values in their children,
>such as respect and tolerance for those who may be different in some way.  It
>serves the rights of only those parents who teach intolerance.
>
>WASTING TAX REVENUES
>The broad and numerous violations of both the First and the Fourteenth
>Amendments to the US Constitution have led to the complaint filed in the US
>District Court.  One of the problems the Merrimack School Board now faces is
>the substantial legal expense involved in defending Policy 6540.  All of the
>board members who voted for the policy have spoken out on many occasions
>about the need to curb the increases in the school district budget.  Last
>year, they removed many programs and services which the voters restored
>during the school district meeting.  Recently, they voted against a proposal
>to build kindergarten classrooms at no cost to the town, and have objected to
>receiving federal grants to relieve the tax burden.  Now, in order to defend
>Policy 6540, they have obligated the taxpayers to raise tax rates
>significantly for legal fees. This will drain money from the budget and
>accomplish nothing for the educational goals of the schools, even if the
>school board wins a favorable court decision.
>
>END

Penny Culliton
culliton@jlc.net
Wilton, NH

"You've gotta live, live, live. Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are
starving!!" - Auntie Mame