Parent: Gay son could
only last
high school one day
Jennifer Jacobs,
DesMoinesRegister.com from the Web, April 4, 2006
Marshalltown, Ia. Apr. 3 —
Marshalltown father Doug Hensley wept as he explained why he believes gay and
lesbian students should be specifically listed in school anti-harassment
policies as protected from bullying.
Hensley said his son, who is gay, experienced harassment starting in the second
grade, and, despite a passion for academics, quit high school after one day of
9th-grade classes.
“Even one of his teachers called him a faggot,” Hensley said before an audience
of about 100 at a school board meeting Monday night. “My son was cheated
out of a high school experience because he wasn’t safe in your hallways and
classrooms. He was scared to death to be in school.”
Of the 365 school districts in Iowa, 77 have policies that spell out protection
based on sexual orientation. That's about 20 percent of the districts.
The Marshalltown school board, which is considering a revised harassment policy,
listened to public comment but did not vote on the issue Monday night. The
board's next meeting is April 17.
Gov. Tom Vilsack supports a bill to treat bullying of Iowa children as a form of
harassment and to give explicit protection to all students who are gay.
The bill is likely dead for the year. Republican leaders say the
legislation is unnecessary because schools already have policies against
bullying.
And as Marshalltown residents are proving, the idea is difficult for some Iowans
to swallow.
District superintendent Harrison Cass, Jr. said he's gotten countless e-mails,
letters and phone calls about a proposal would protect students who are
tormented for their actual or perceived sexual orientation, physical appearance,
socio-economic status and other categories that are not listed in the district's
current policy.
Cass said some people are afraid that the policy implies the school district
approves of homosexuality. "We're not saying we condone it or don't
condone it," he said. "We're just saying we don't allow harassment."
Board member Anne Bacon agreed. “I’m not for obesity, I’m not for single
parenthood, and I’m not for poverty. But I realize those groups are more
likely to be targeted for others.”
But two school board members, several audience members and the superintendent
himself said Monday night they feel it's unnecessary to include the words
"sexual orientation." It's enough to say "all students" are protected from
harassment at any time, for any reason, they said.
"I don't think you can ever list all the reasons someone can be harassed," Cass
said. "With a laundry list, to me, there's always going to be somebody
that can get away with something because they can get around the rules.
Sometimes we try to overcomplicate things. ... I think we'd have a more
enforceable policy by not listing every reason."
Marshalltown resident Geoff Schive said the policy creates loopholes, leaving
out certain groups of students, such as kids who excel in academics but don’t
care for sports.
Board member Dick Russell said his son, who is also nicknamed Dick, has been
teased because of his name. But Russell said he’s not asking for a
category of protection just for children named Richard. “All means all,”
he said.
A local pastor, Kerry Jech, said he thinks the policy would entitle certain
students to more protections than others, “and that’s wrong,” he said. The
policy could be unconstitutional because it limits expression of religious
views, he added.
"If I say I disagree with homosexuality, according to what you've got here, if
that makes someone uncomfortable, that's harassment, even if I say it in a
loving way," Jech said.
Marshalltown resident Mary Blom, a certified teacher who is not currently
teaching, said she worries the policy could force her to read books to children
or teach curriculum that she would not approve of. She said she thinks the
policy is actually an "agenda.”
A Marshalltown elementary school principal, Ann Paullus, said the policy is not
about beliefs, it's about children's safety. Bullying is often about
exhibiting power, she said. But harassment based on race or sexual
orientation is often about hatred, she said.
High school senior Joe Olsen, 17, said the current policy isn't working.
He said he has had homophobic remarks directed at him, “and I’m heterosexual,”
he said. “It’s definitely a problem here.”
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