Bullied by civil rights chief
EDITORIAL, Asbury Park Press (APP.COM), August 3, 2004
Asbury Park, NJ -- The state director of civil rights went too far in levying a $10,000 fine against the Toms River Regional School District for its actions in response to complaints that a student was verbally and physically abused by classmates who believed he was homosexual.
Bullying should not be tolerated by school officials. But administrators in Toms River handled the situation appropriately, offering counseling and meting out discipline in a manner commensurate with the law, an administrative law judge concluded.
Civil Rights Director J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo disagreed, awarding $50,000 to the boy and ordering the district to improve its policies against gay-bashing.
The school district has wisely decided to appeal Vespa-Papaleo's verdict. Leaving the decision up to the agency that signed off on the complaint in the first place -- and then overrode the ruling of an administrative law judge -- makes a mockery of the notion "blind justice."
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