Date: Fri, 30 Dec 1994 10:52:56 -0600 (CST) From: laura kress Subject: Intstitute News letter....please post. INSTITUTING CHANGE Newsletter of the National Institute for GLBT Concerns in Education, Inc. Fall 1994 Volume 01 Number 2 IN THIS ISSUE: 50 Education Boards Pass Resolutions Legal Leverage Tips NACYSO Meeting New Publications Press Conference National Coming Out Day H.S. Public Hearings High Technology Board of Directors Expanding Local Volunteers Needed 50 EDUCATION BOARDS PASS RESOLUTIONS It was appropriate to select October as National GAy and Lesbian History Month since so much history has been made in the past few weeks! Join us in the celebration of the following: NATIONAL CHANGES Each year the fifty state boards of education meet at the national conference of the National Association of the State Boards of Education. This year the Massachusetts State Board of Education, under the leadership of its Chair, Martin Kaplan, successfully presented an amendment concerning sexual orientation protections to the by-laws on Ocober 14, 1994. By a two-thirds majority, the 50 State Boards Education have voted to make the following change to their national association resolutions: "State boards should provide leadership in eliminating the stereotypes and discrimination on the basis of sex,age, race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic background or national origin in curriculum materials, counseling methods and other education processes." This new resolution mirrors changes already enacted by the National School Boards Assoc (NSBA), which represents the 17,00 local school districts nationwide, the National Education Association, the AmericanPsychological Association and the National Association of School Psychologists. Arguably then, because these amendments on both local and state-wide school board levels, all school districts in the country should be working actively to eliminate discrimination against students on the basis of sexual orientation in all areas of education--including curriculum and counseling! While the resolution needed only a majority vote to pass, it actually passedd by a 2/3 vote. Massachusetts put forth the resolution, and Georgia seconded it. In additiopn to the expected "yes" votes from many liberal states, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Utah,Arkansas, and Georgia also supported the resolution! MASSACHUSETTS CHANGE Through the efforts of this Institute and the Massachusetts Governor's Advisory Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, we have successfully petitioned the Massachusetts State Board of Education to change its Educational Personnel Certification Code. As of October 1, 1994 all 36 higher education institutes in Massachusetts that train individuals for certification as teachers,adminis- trators, school guidance counselors, and/or school psychologists must demonstrate to the State Department of Education that its graduates have received training and are sensitive to the sexual orientation issues of students. Thus, Massachusetts has become the first state to institutionalize sexual orientation sensitivity training into school-related graduate professional programs. Given the State's new law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and the expressed commitment to end violence against GLBT youth in schools, we simply rewrote the Personnel Code to insert sexual orientation where appropriate and then presented it to the State Board of Education. Since the drafting work was already done, and the logic of the request seemed obvious, the modifications passed without debate. These changes were enacted through the efforts of Karen Harbeck, David LaFontaine, Al Ferreira, Maurice Kaufman, Louise LaFontaine, and other volunteers. For additional information, call Karen Harbeck (617)321-3569 or the Governor's Commission (617) 727-3600 ext.312. NACYSO Meeting (Report ont he meeting of the National Advocacy Coalition on Youth and Sexual Orienttation 3-day planning meeting in early October in Washington D.C. (NACYSO, 1025 Vermont Ave. N.W. Suite 200, Washington D.C. 20005), submitted by Karen Harbeck) While I was impressed with the commitment and the talent brought together for the strategic planning session of NACYSO, I was disappointed in the seemingly entrenched focus on social services and soley lobbying the U.S. House, Senate and Department of Health and Human Services. I had attended the session with the major goal of broadening the mandate to include educational concerns and the needs of individuals and organizations outside the Washington beltway. I left impressed with the lobbying efforts of the NACYSO leadership, but very disappointed in prospect of linking educational concerns with social services for GLBT youth with this organization. LEGAL LEVERAGE TIP by Karen Harbeck PROBLEM: Our principal will not let a GLBT/Straight Alliance meet or form at our secondary school. SOLUTION: On August 11, 1984, Congress passed the Equal Access Act to eliminate the "perceived widespread discrimination" against religios speech in public secondary schools. Because of pressure from then President Reagan and other conservative leaders, this Federal law was passed to permit student- init iated groups to meet within public secondary facilities. Obviously, curriculum-related groups have the freedom to meet. The Act applies to non-curriculum related groups, such as religious prayer meetings and dare I say--BLGT/Straight Alliances! If the school permits non-curriculum related clubs to meet, then under the Equal Access Act, all other non- curriculum related clubs must be permitted to meet as well. In order to qualify under the Act, the group must be student-iniated and student led. Accessmust be open to everyone who wishes to participate, and attendance must be voluntary. While the school administration retains the right to maintain order and discipline and to protect the well-being of all students and faculty, it cannot simply refuse to permit a group to meet because it disagrees with thet focus of the group or because the existence of the group may cause controversy. The text of the Act can be found at 20 U.S.C., Section 4071-74, or we have copies on hand (include $2.00s/h). Enforcement is based on an appeal to your State Department of Education. Good luck, amd please let us know how it works for you! NEW PUBLICATIONS (due to limitations of my mailer titles cannot be underlined) "Preventing of Health Problems Among Gay and Lesbian Youth: Making Health and Human Services Accessible and Effective for Gay and Lesbian Youth", Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. FREE by writing the Commission at: Atate House, Room 111, Boston, MA 02133. "One Teacher in 10: Gay and Lesbian Educators Tell Thier Stories", Kevin Jennings, ed., Alyson Publications, Boston MA $9.95 "Alone No More: Developing a School Support System for GLB Youth" From the Minnesota Dept. of Education, Prevention and Risk REduction Team, 550 Cedar St. St. Paul, Minn. 55101 $4.00 "Personal Freedoms/Public Constraints: GAy and Lesbian Educators in American Schools and Colleges" Karen Harbeck,PhD,JD. In press and due out in early February. PRESS CONFERENCE 11/15/94 The Institute, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Governor's Advisory Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, held a press conference at Northeastern University to announce changes in Massachusetts Educational Personnel Certification Code and the national school board associations' anti discrimination changes (see earlier article) The Institute presented Martin Kaplan, Chair of the Massachusetts State Board of Education, with a plaque in appreciation of his leadership on behalf of BLBT students in Massachusetts and around the nation. Letters of appreciation can be sent to Mr. Martin Kaplan, Esq., Chair, Massachusetts State Board of Education, 350 Main Street, Malden,MA 02148. Since the conservative right is so vocal and visible in its opposition to our rights, we believe that letters of appreciation should be sent to individuals and organizations that believe in equitable educational opportunities and safe schools. Please write your state board of education and express your appreciation for thier NASBE vote in favor of sexual orientation protections for students! NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY CAMBRIDGE RINDGE AND LATIN HIGH SCHOOL STYLE On October 11, Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School celebrated National Coming Out Day by distributing pink triangle stickers to its population of 2,500 students and setting up exhibits throughout the school. Throughout the day, a series of assemblies featured panel presentations with students, parents, teachers and guests discussing what it was like to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The response of the students was terrifically supportive! In fact, students request that GLBT student groups attend several classes throughout the weeks ahead in order for everyone to have more time to discuss the issues and ask questions. Believe it or not, all of the hard work in schools does pay off! Congratulations to CRLHS for its commitment to inclusion - and for its modeling of what all schools have to look forward to in the near future! HIGH TECHNOLOGY The Institute--and any otther BLGT organization that would like to have the service--has been offered the use of a high technology fax service for mailings. We could save a significant amount of money sending a one-page fax for $.25 to interested members rather that the time and expense of postal mailings. Also, the Institute can reach its members through e-mail, which can save even more money. Press releases, news updates or even the Newsletter, could be sent directly to your e-mail account, saving us considerable time and money. To participate, please let us know how best to reach you. Until approved by you, we will NOT use any member's fax# or e-mail address currently in our database for Institute mailings. CURRENT INSTITUTE MEMBERS: To use your fax # for Institute mailings send a fax to (617) 321-9901 stating your approval and providing us with youyr fax #. To use your e-mail address, send a notice to this effect to: and we'll updaye the database to reflect these changes. NEW INSTITUTE MEMBERS: Use the regular intake form, but add your fax # and/or e-mail address, and tell us which address is appropriate for Institute mailings. If you do not have an intake form, fax us or send e-mail giving us your name, address, telephone# etc. (this form is at the beginging of the the Institue postings in the QRD) Please tell us whether this is your work or home address and phone numbers (or give us both and tell us where to send mailings) LOCAL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED We are currently writing several grants and preparing for training presentations around the country concerning the rights of GLBT youth, educators and heterosexual allies. In every state, we need a contact person to monitor local educational activities and resources and provide us with that information Also, we are now selecting presentation sites for workshops. Local individuals could help us train a wide audience of people to address the needs of GLBT youth and adults. Working committees of teachers, parents and students would send out announcements and set up arrangements, and the Institute would provide speakers and materials through the grants. We may be able to pay a local person for their efforts and still keep expenses down because of grant funding. We could use any net income to help schools fund the formation of GLBT/Straight Alliances. If you are willing to be a state contact or to help us when we are in your area, please use the proceedures described at the end of the High Technology article. INSTITUTE TRAVEL DATES Jan.26-27 1995 Nebraska (Lincoln) April ??? Iowa (Des Moines) date will be provided in January. BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXPANDING Current members of the Board of Directors include Karen Harbeck, All Ferreira, Warren Blumenfeld, Virginia Uribe, James Sears, Nancy Nangeroni, Milliam Johnson (student), and Laura Kress (student). We are in the process of selecting additional directors, so if you would like to nominate yourself or someone else, please let us know by sending some biographical information about the nominee. Donations are welcome! The Institute has applied for its non-profit tax exempt status, so your contributions to our efforts would be most appreciated! INSTITUTing CHANGE is published by the NAtional Institute for GLBT Concerns in Education, Inc. To submit a news item or article fro inclusion, write to: ATTN: Newsletter, National Institute for GLBT Concerns in Education,Inc. 55 Glen Street, Malden MA 02148-2414 or call 617/321-3569 (voice) or 617/3219901 (fax). Please spread the word and share information provided here with others!