Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 16:04:36 -0800 From: Jean Richter Subject: 12/10/98 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. ME: More on struggle for civil rights team at Machias Memorial High School 2. WA: Commentary on student's harassment lawsuit settlement posted to web site ================================================================================ Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 21:59:04 -0500 From: leslie Reply-To: suffocated@cryogen.com I work at a smal conservative high school in maine and we are in the middle of a battle to KEEP our civil rights team. recently it was voted down by the school board. They tried to keep themselves PC by stating that the school could keep the team but only if they changed the name and came up with their own training. they felt that it was too closely related (this was never stated in the meeting simply alluded to in vague references) to maine's recently overturned referendum on equal rights. however it is only linked to THE MAINE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT, which is a civil statute. anyhow we, the teachers, are looking for anyway that we can possibly KEEP this team (I have special interest as I'm a lesbian and I have several students who have come to me with fears about their sexuality becoming public) Many parents WANT this team as do the students. it was another case of the few overturning the many because of a power differential. grggh I'm just out of college and am so unused to this sort of covered yet obvious protection of those students who are going to get into trouble by this. i'm looking for any ideas. thanks leslie Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 22:29:44 -0500 From: leslie Reply-To: suffocated@cryogen.com the teachers are fighting this!! meetings are being held anyway, though not under the name of civil rights team. they are trying to come up with #1 a new name and #2 a new training. what I and many other teachers find so interesting with this case is that there are approx 100 other schools here in the state to have adopted this- and we are THE ONLY school to have an issue. And it's not the school- it's a few board members it was only voted down by (I think) 3-2. We are outraged as are the students. This is not only a g/l/b/t issue here, this team protects the rights of all of the students- from any sort of harrassment steve wessler is the head of the civil rights team project. leslie [the web page for the civil rights team project is at URL:] http://www.state.me.us/ag/project.htm ============================================================================== I've put up some important commentary on the Mark Iverson harassment settlement on our web site at URL: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Alerts/States/Washington/iversen.html At over 25K, it's too long to post here, but if you can't access the web and would like to see it, please let me know. ============================================================================== Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/