School's Out
Q-NOTES • APRIL 26 . 2003
Charlotte Business Guild
Meeting Date:
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Program:
Gardens in a Bowl * How To
Holiday Inn
College and 7th St.'
Social 5:30 pm - Dinner & Program 6:30 pm
To Reserve:
Cost $20
Call 704-565-5075 by 12:00 pm
Monday, May 19, 2003
charlottebusinessguild.com
Andy Vernon, Realtor
Multi-Million Dollar Producer
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Administrators personally
responsible for student safety
Six students alleged their school
administrators ignored bias inddents
NEW YORK — The Gay, Lesbian and
Straight Education Network hailed a ruling
issued by the US Circuit Court of Appeals in
San Francisco and called upon school admin
istrators across the country to take immediate
action to meet their responsibility to ensure
that all students are safe from harassment and
violence motivated by bias against lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
The federal circuit court ruled that school
administrators can be held personally respon
sible under federal law for failing to protect
students from harassment based on sexuaf
orientation. Six students filed suit in 1998
against officials at Live Oak High and Murphy
Middle schools in the Morgan Hill Unified
School District, accusing them of ignoring
years of complaints about anti-LGBT taunts
and abuse. The court’s ruling allows the case
to proceed to trial.
“This ruling adds to the growing body of
precedent on this issue that confirms what we
have asserted for years — that administrators,
teachers and other school staff must take
action in the face of anti-LGBT harassment and
violence,” said Kevin Jennings, GLSEN’s
Executive Director, “Every school across the
country should take heed of this ruling and take
proactive steps to stop violence and harass
ment before it occurs, and address incidents
quickly and decisively when they are reported.”
Anti-LGBT violence and harassment are all
too common in America’s schools. GLSEN’s
2001 National School Climate Survey found
that four out of five LGBT students report ver
bal, sexual or physical harassment at school
and 30 percent report missing at least a day of
school in the past month out of fear for their
personal safety.
info:
www.glsen.org
ACLU: no more school outings
LITTLE ROCK, AR — The American Civil
Liberties Union filed suit in federal court against
the Pulaski County Special School District for its
treatment of an openly gay 14-year-old student.
The lawsuit contends school officials violated
Thomas McLaughlin’s rights to free speech,
equal protection and privacy and that they vio
lated the establishment clause of the First
Amendment by preaching to him and forcing
him read the Bible as punishment.
“We tried to work with the district to reach a
settlement that would protect Thomas
McLaughlin’s Constitutional rights and allow
him to be open about his sexual orientation,"
said James Esseks, litigation director for the
ACLLI’s Lesbian and Gay Rights Project. “They
were offered ample opportunity to do the right
thing here, but the district refused to meet our
demands so we’re taking them to court to ensure
that other lesbian and gay students in the district
wouldn’t face similar discrimination.”
in papers filed with the US District Court for
the Eastern District of Arkansas, the ACLU is
seeking an injunction to prevent Jacksonville
Junior High School from further restricting
McLaughlin’s speech with regard to his sexual
orientation or past discipline he’s been subject
ed to by school officials. “All 1 want out of this
is for me and other gay students to be able to
go to school with
out being preached
to and without
being expected to
lie about who we
are,” said Thomas
McLaughlin.
The ACLU sent
a letter to the dis
trict on March i3
describing how
Jacksonville Junior
High School facul
ty and administra- . ... ,
tors had “outed ” Thomas Mclaughl.n
Thomas McLaughlin to his parents without
his permission, preached to him, made him
read the Bible, and disciplined him for talking
about his sexual orientation and later for talk
ing about that punishment. McLaughlin’s dis
ciplinary record confirms these allegations.
“Our demands are fairly simple. The district
needs to acknowledge students’ First
Amendment right to talk about their sexual ori
entation during non-instructional time,” said
ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project staff attor
ney Leslie Cooper, adding, “We want the district
see OUTINGS on 28
Raymond A. Warren
Attorney and Counselor At Law
Former judge of the Superior Court
A General Practice Serving the
Community with Nearly
Twenty Years of Legal Experience.
900 Baxter Street, Suite 109, Charlotte, North Carolina 28204
Telephone: 980-32 J -0155 or 704-347-1328
Fax: 704-969-7207 • Email: Ray@RayWarrenLaw.com
www.RayWarrenLaw.com