[skyc6]

[QUOTE=ilovetv;628349]When I read the first article linked (Daily Commercial), I couldn't help but think there was more to the story. Something is missing from what's being reported. I looked around and googled other articles on the topic. One sentence here, from this article, has a key point:



I think "curriculum-based" is at the heart of the matter. To stereotype the entire school board, administration and district parents as a bunch of redneck haters, homophobes, and bigots, just because the school administration cannot be all things to all people....is stereotyping and bigotry too.

One problem is that when a club forms at school, there has to be a faculty advisor(s) for the club. The school district also assumes liability for all its clubs, students, and faculty while they're there and involved in school activities.

So. Let's say that a good and willing faculty advisor for the gay-straight alliance club would be a teacher who is gay or lesbian, because they have walked in the shoes of these students. Now consider that for decades, as an example, the U.S. military had a policy of "Don't ask, don't tell", that worked reasonably well. A lot of us don't really care to know what people do in the privacy of their bedroom. Changing this policy in the military became congressional-level demonstrations, protests, lobbying, etc. for years.

Why should the public schools get involved in such an emotional, controversial, extra-curricular club, when really, I believe this problem is due to the schools having their hands tied in recent decades when it comes to seriously and effectively disciplining bullies that are so evil they'd slash a girl's face!!!!

When school behavior gets so far out of control that you have students openly, physically abused for being different, this tells me that either the principal and assistants are absolutely useless, and/or their hands are tied legally against their being able to strongly discipline and boot out these awful perpetrators who are also enabled by their boorish parents. I have taught under school principals that are absolutely useless and just play the P.R. game, and I've also seen some of the best principals you could ever find have their hands tied behind their back when it comes to disciplining abusive students.

Also....I'm pretty sure there are lots of teachers who are homosexual, and I'm certain that my kids have had gay teachers.......but why does anybody in a public school need to KNOW that???? Quite a few times, while my kids were in high school and after I'd met their teachers and got to know them better in parent-teacher conferences, I'd ask my kids, "Is Mr. or Ms. So and So gay? I sense that they are because of this or that." Routinely their answer was, "I dunno.....who cares?" And I was glad they didn't care about that because that person is there to be a teacher, not a sexual-identity role model, nor a counseling psychologist which, by the way requires masters' and PhD degrees, clinical hours, licensure and continuing education!!!!

I think the real problem this school board is trying to deal with is a) not having the legal authority nor standing to strongly, finally discipline and nip in the bud these bullies and get them out if they don't shape up; and b) the board and administrators know their limitations and that they cannot be all things to all people.

I think a club like this belongs in the private sector of the community, in for example a community center like Boys & Girls Club or church youth groups, etc. if it's in line with their beliefs and they are prone to address that problem.

Besides that, any parent of one of the abused students can form a club for the victims and friends to meet at their house or wherever. I think the schools already have enough problems of their own without getting into this.[/QUOTe

The suggestion that bullies can be "gotten out if they don't shape up" is very misleading. Our laws guarantee an education, even mandate an education, and until laws are broken, the bully will be in school There may be suspensions, etc., but you cannot expel a student for being a bully.

It is also not realistic to say that all parents must provide sex education for their children. Some parents are absent, have left their families, are drug addicts, pedophiles, in prison, or are crackheads.