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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: Apr 25, 2007 - 05:17 AM



Joined: Sep 06, 2006
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Florida Bullying Bill Dies

Quote:
(Tallahassee, Florida) Legislation that would require Florida school boards to establish anti-bullying programs has been declared dead in the Senate

The House on Tuesday passed the bill, named for Jeffery Johnston, a 15 year old who committed suicide in 2005 after he was repeatedly bullied and taunted online. The vote was nearly unanimous.

But in the Senate a parallel bill stalled in the Education Pre-Kindergarten-12 Appropriations Committee which adjourned without considering the measure.

Committee chair Sen. Stephen Wise (R) said the issue is closed, and accused supporters of bullying him.

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berto
Post subject:   PostPosted: Apr 25, 2007 - 11:02 AM



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Quote:
accused supporters of bullying him.


Prove it -- commit suicide.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: Apr 25, 2007 - 11:02 PM



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Rolling

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: May 05, 2007 - 06:09 AM



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(Fla) School bullying bill gets new life

Quote:
An anti-bullying bill that was left for dead apparently has been given new life.

Debbie Johnston, the Cape Coral parent who has pushed for a law to give schools more tools to combat bullying, said Thursday that a senator who had been a formidable obstacle has agreed to step out of the way.

At a news conference Wednesday, Gov. Charlie Crist “explained we were going to have a special session, and we still had things to work out on property taxes and school safety,” Johnston said.

“Then he pointed straight at me,” she continued. “I asked that, since he had mentioned school safety, did that mean they might be able to work on Jeff’s bill at the special session. I got my political ‘yes’ in front of everyone in the press. I left 10 feet off the ground.”

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: May 09, 2007 - 03:14 PM



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School may have allowed bullying of bisexual student

Quote:
TRENTON, N.J. -- State officials say an Ocean County school district may not have done enough to prevent harassment of a bisexual student.

"Despite repeatedly calling it to the attention of school authorities, the complainant in this case appears to have been exposed to a harassing environment that was, over a period of years, both severe and persuasive," said J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo, director of the Division of Civil Rights, said Tuesday in a statement.

The New Jersey Division of Civil Rights made a finding of probable cause against the Jackson Township school district, which means they feel there is enough evidence to pursue the case further. The case will be submitted to a conciliation process designed to resolve cases without going to a judge.

Action against the Jackson Township school district comes after the state Supreme Court found that New Jersey's anti-discrimination law protects students from harassment.


The school, of course, plans to challenge the finding. They would be penalized up to $10,000 (as long as they havn't been convicted of another discrimination violation in the past five years).

I'd say their chances of success in that are..... take out the cheque book today.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: May 10, 2007 - 11:50 AM



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New Jersey Students Stage Walkout in Support of Teacher

Quote:
Four students at a New Jersey high school were suspended after 200 staged a walkout to protest the school's decision to withdraw an offer of tenure to a popular teacher who had objected to anti-gay slurs in her classroom. Cheryl Bachmann reportedly fought to have one of the students who had made a slur permanently removed after the student "was heard screaming in the high school’s hallways, using expletives and threatening to stab Bachmann."

According to The Record, "Students planned the protest after learning Bachmann was told in late April she probably will not be offered tenure. This decision followed an initial indication in March that Bachmann would be asked to remain at the high school. During the month in between, Bachmann had asked two students to leave her class on two separate occasions after she said they both used a derogatory word for a homosexual. According to her, one of the students hit her in the head with a rolled-up gum wrapper on his way out and the female student later threatened to stab Bachmann."


Unfortunately for the school, the state of New Jersey law rather requires that ALL of it's teachers respond to homophobia in the way that Ms Bachmann did. It is rather costly to do otherwise.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: May 16, 2007 - 06:22 AM



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Homophobia link to bullying claimed

Quote:
The Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group believes any national strategy to tackle schoolyard bullying will fail if it doesn't address homophobia.

A spokesman for the group, Rodney Croome, says Australia's major political parties are failing to recognise that homophobia is a major cause of bullying.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: May 17, 2007 - 11:30 PM



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Teens face hate-crime charge for anti-gay flier

Quote:
CRYSTAL LAKE -- Two Crystal Lake girls were charged with a felony hate crime for making a flier with derogatory statements about homosexuality and distributing them at a school, authorities said Tuesday

The 16-year-olds were arrested by Crystal Lake police about 1:45 p.m. Friday after they distributed about 40 fliers in the student parking lot at Crystal Lake South High School, 1200 S. McHenry Ave., Crystal Lake.

...

The girls were charged with a hate crime because the fliers "were not written for informational purposes but rather were to incite a breach of peace or cause injury to the person or persons the message was directed against," said Thomas Carroll, McHenry County first assistant state's attorney.

They were also charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a police officer, and one teen faces an additional charge of resisting a police officer.


Other reports state that the resisting charge was brought on when one of the students ran from the police arresting them.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: May 24, 2007 - 09:59 PM



Joined: Sep 06, 2006
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In regard to this incident, 365 is reporting that

Quote:
Wednesday night, at a board meeting that dragged on close to midnight, the school trustees voted 5-4 to offer Bachmann tenure.


Their headline is more than a bit peculiar, if strictly accurate.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: Jun 19, 2007 - 08:10 PM



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From the UK --

Government rejects compulsory recording of homophobic bullying

Quote:
The Department for Education and Skills has rejected a call from MPs to make all schools record bullying incidents.

...

“We do not think it necessary to introduce a statutory requirement to record incidents of bullying and there would be logistical difficulties in doing so,” the department said.

“In addition, introducing a statutory requirement for schools to record bullying incidents will not necessarily persuade more schools to do so.”


Let's see if I have this right -- requiring schools to record incidents of bullying in the way that incidents of racism are already recorded would be hard and the schools might not comply with the law?

Golly... is the Department for Education and Skills confessing to being incompetent and lawless? I should hope not. That would mean that I have been right all along in suggesting that the only reasonable solution to the problems faced by Gay kids in the United Kingdom is separate schooling.

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berto
Post subject:   PostPosted: Jun 19, 2007 - 11:01 PM



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Location: Valhalla Mountains, British Columbia, Canada
Quote:
That would mean that I have been right all along in suggesting that the only reasonable solution to the problems faced by Gay kids in the United Kingdom is separate schooling.


You have been.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: Jun 21, 2007 - 04:54 AM



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Regarding this earlier post:

Charge dropped over anti-gay flier

Quote:
McHenry County prosecutors dropped a felony hate-crime charge Wednesday against one of two 16-year-old girls accused of distributing anti-gay fliers outside a Crystal Lake high school after she agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges.

Under the deal, the Crystal Lake South High School student pleaded guilty in McHenry County Juvenile Court to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges. She was ordered to remain in home detention on electronic monitoring until she is sentenced in August.

...

The other girl was held in a juvenile detention facility for a time after her arrest, but was released May 29 on the condition that she be strictly monitored at home. She also was ordered to attend a drug and alcohol evaluation program.

Prosecutors said they believe the hate-crime charge was justified but said the plea to lesser charges was fair.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: Jun 26, 2007 - 04:40 AM



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Small wonder the Department of Education and Skills has rejected a call from MP's to make all schools record bullying incidents.

Shock Report Says More Than 150,000 Victims of Gay Bashing in UK Schools

Quote:
LONDON, June 26, 2007 – A major survey of Britain’s secondary schools has revealed that almost two thirds of lesbian and gay pupils (156,000 children) have been victims of homophobic bullying.

The School Report, the largest poll of young gay people ever conducted in this country, presents a shocking picture of the extent of homophobic bullying undertaken by fellow pupils and, alarmingly, school staff.

Key findings by authors Ruth Hunt and Johan Jensen are:

■ Sixty five per cent of lesbian and gay pupils have experienced homophobic bullying

■ Of those, 92 per cent (143,000) have experienced verbal homophobic bullying, 41 per cent (64,000) physical bullying and 17 per cent (26,000) death threats

■ 97 per cent of gay pupils hear derogatory phrases such as ‘dyke’, ‘queer’ and ‘rug-muncher’ used in school

■ Half of teachers fail to respond to homophobic language when they hear it

■ Thirty per cent of lesbian and gay pupils say that adults - teachers or support staff - are responsible for homophobic incidents in their school

■ Less than a quarter of schools have told pupils that homophobic bullying is wrong

...

The report does, however, demonstrate significant benefits when schools intervene.

In schools that have said homophobic bullying is wrong, gay young people are 60 per cent more likely not to have been bullied.


Consider reading the report. It's 24 pages of just about what you would expect. Gay kids belong in Gay schools. The rest of the creatures referenced in the report belong in the dock.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: Jul 05, 2007 - 08:30 PM



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A change in government, a change in ministers in the UK, yet somehow we get the same tripe. You gotta admire the Brit's consistency, if little else.

Government committed to stamping out gay bullying

Quote:
The newly-appointed minister for Children, Kevin Brennan, has committed the government to working with Stonewall to eradicate homophobic bullying from British schools.

...


The minister stressed that faith schools will be compelled to take action against homophobia as well as secular institutions and he set out two approaches to tackling the problem:

"The first is effective intervention. Part of the reason for the apparent inertia and inaction is that often, teachers are unsure what to do.

"We need to make sure that every teacher has the knowledge, skills and confidence to deal with incidents of homophobic bullying. To challenge intolerance and disrespect in whatever form it rears its ugly head."


Now of course delegates to the conference wished to know why only 'guidance' was being issued to schools, instead of -- oh, I don't know -- something that would work.

Ah, but the "guidance is strong," the "guidance has the full force of the government behind it," the government is "committed to making sure that every school implements the guidance."

No, I don't think it is, I don't think it does, and whether or not the government is committed to anything other than cashing their pay cheques, I really do not expect to find that very many schools end up implementing much of anything, despite the minister's assertions.

You see, this ever-so-committed government doesn't "like to simply put bureaucratic requirements on schools without the evidence that that is needed."

How can you be committed to "stamping out" something that you will not acknowledge exists?

Really -- it's a serious question.

For now I have to assume that "committed" is one of those weird words that means something completely different in US usage. Same with "stamp." I've seen stamping. I don't see any stamping going on here.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: Jul 09, 2007 - 04:01 AM



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Schools develop lessons on curbing anti-gay ways

Quote:
Many Morris County teachers and students say anti-gay language is rampant in schools, creating the potential for a hostile environment for gay students, as a court ruling prompts educators to take a closer look at the problem.

...

Legal experts say the state Supreme Court ruling requires schools to go beyond simply having anti-bullying policies. They say it requires schools not only to respond to harassment, but also to prevent it, and to train teachers and educate students to recognize unacceptable behavior.

"Once the policies are in place, schools have to give life to them, and make sure they are not just pieces of paper," said Jim Michael, a state Deputy Attorney General who handled the case, which was brought against the Toms River school district, for the state's Civil Rights Division.

He said the ruling requires school administrators to take action when they are aware, or should be aware, that their schools have a hostile environment. That could extend to language that students use in schools even when it's not directed at gay students, he said.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: Jul 11, 2007 - 08:00 PM



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Anti-bullying policy OK'd
After arguing, state board deletes reference to taunts based on sexual orientation


Quote:
The State Board of Education adopted a model anti-bullying policy yesterday after removing reference to "taunts based on ethnicity, gender, religion (and) sexual orientation."

Those arguing to keep the language said the board's hourlong debate boiled down to a question of whether gay students should be explicitly protected from taunts and harassment.

...

Board members who prevailed said a more general paragraph in the policy prohibiting "threats, taunts and intimidation through words and/or gestures" was sufficient.


Except that it will not be. In due course we'll be posting and commenting on any number of stories out of Ohio where the bullying policy is explicitly NOT invoked because orientation is not included in this policy.

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Feral
Post subject:   PostPosted: Aug 12, 2007 - 09:45 PM



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Regarding this matter --

Hate crime charges reduced for second high school girl

Quote:
WOODSTOCK - A second girl was cleared of a felony hate crime charge Thursday for circulating fliers at her Crystal Lake high school that depicted two male classmates kissing beside text that included a derogatory term for gays.

The 16-year-old girl pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. In exchange, juvenile prosecutors agreed to drop the hate crime charge and an unrelated marijuana possession charge.

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berto
Post subject:   PostPosted: Aug 13, 2007 - 07:12 AM



Joined: Sep 06, 2006
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Location: Valhalla Mountains, British Columbia, Canada
Quote:
When Jordan Becker was in eighth grade, she learned her first lesson about how gay people can be treated in the classroom and in life. Three years ago, Becker was an openly gay student at Olympia Middle School in Stanford, Ind. "The teachers pulled my friends out of class and said they couldn’t be friends with me. At one point it got so bad the school had to call in counselors to help me," said Becker, now a junior at Normal Community West High School. At one low point during the ordeal, Becker said she considered suicide. With legal assistance from the ALCU, the school district and Becker’s family reached an agreement that restored Becker’s student council position and her class schedule. But bitter feelings about the incident remained, and the family has since moved. Becker helped establish the Gay Straight Alliance at the Normal high school.


*click*

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berto
Post subject:   PostPosted: Aug 13, 2007 - 07:34 AM



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Harassed gay Ind. students call for school protection

Quote:
When Jordan Becker was in eighth grade, she learned her first lesson about how gay people can be treated in the classroom and in life.

Three years ago, Becker was an openly gay student at Olympia Middle School in Stanford. She got A’s in her classes and was president of the student council. Things changed, said Becker, after her girlfriend’s mother contacted school officials about the relationship.

“The teachers pulled my friends out of class and said they couldn’t be friends with me. At one point it got so bad the school had to call in counselors to help me,” said Becker, now a junior at Normal Community West High School. At one low point during the ordeal, Becker said she considered suicide.

Becker’s mother, Rhonda Becker, said school officials rearranged her daughter’s schedule to separate the two girls. Teachers followed Becker in the hallways and into the bathroom.

“When she was kicked off the student council without a reason, that was the last straw,” said Rhonda Becker.

With legal assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union, the school district and Becker’s family reached an agreement that restored Becker’s student council position and her class schedule.

But bitter feelings about the incident remained, and the family has since moved from the Olympia district into Unit 5. Becker helped establish the Gay Straight Alliance at the Normal high school. Last year, about 20 students attended meetings of the group, which helps students explore sexual orientation issues, she said.

“Looking back, I realize that no one should have to go through what I went through,” said Becker.


Gawd, some of these kids are brave .... we should be doing everything in our power to help them.

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Rain
Post subject:   PostPosted: Aug 13, 2007 - 07:40 AM



Joined: Apr 12, 2007
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Keep your chin up, Jordan. You're a hero to many without even knowing it! And a lot of those folks are wayyyyyyy older than you!

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