The superintendant for the school where a kid was allegedly harrassed — by his teacher and the principal — for talking about his mom being gay … denies the whole thing.
I have investigated a news report recently published that indicated that an elementary student in one of our schools was disciplined as a result of this student telling another student that the first student’s parent was gay.
I have reviewed the documented records on this matter, as well as have met with the school principal and have concluded that the student’s discipline was unrelated to any judgment by school officials regarding sexual orientation or practices, or the student’s discussion of that particular topic. However, I have concluded that the discipline was related to ordinary student disturbances, which were hindering the classroom learning process and which were addressed in an appropriate fashion by the teacher and school administrator.
Which would boil it down to a he-said/she-said, except … well, except for the disciplinary report and the behavior contract the kid had to fill out. Which, if they are to be believed, don’t mention anything about “student disturbences,” but do mention the kid saying his mom was gay.
The school board is officially reserving judgment — but is also claiming that the school did nothing wrong — but can’t talk about it any further because it’s a child disciplinary matter, and to do so would violate the child’s privacy. Though the School Board president did note:
“I feel like any discussion by a child of a parent’s sexual orientation is inappropriate for children that age,” School Board President David Thibodaux said. “I would not want my children discussing sexuality with their friends.”
Given that the kid claims another child asked him about his “mommy and daddy,” it doesn’t sound like a conversation that he could (or should) have ducked. And there’s no indication in the documentation that he started going on about intimate sexual practices or other material that might have warrented a call home to a parent.
The fact is, by saying that you have “a mommy and daddy,” you are talking about your parents’ ostensible sexual orientation. That the school board doesn’t realize that is really kind of interesting, isn’t it?
(via Volokh)
The school board declines to apologize, suggesting that, no matter what the school staff actually wrote on the disciplinary incident forms, the kid was actually only being punished for other behavioral issues, not for using the “G” word.
Expect a law suit in the near future.