Sign the Petition-Save GSA clubs in our schools
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GSAclubsNOW is a grassroots activist organization created to respond to the discrimination and harassment that students and staff in our public schools face on a daily basis. Because these events often go unchecked and unreported we felt it necessary to create a network through which students and staff in public schools can receive support and take action RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. GSAclubsNOW is asking for your help in fighting the discrimination outlined below. Go to http://gsaclubsnow.tripod.com for more information.
Small revolutions happen around the world everyday. Some happen in Rochester. One is in progress right here, right now. Please support your local revolution. If you don't live in Rochester, please offer your support anyway. The events outlined below are a symptom of a much larger, world wide problem.
4 years ago some students approached a school social worker at Marshall High School (Erica Eaton). Marshall is part of the Rochester City School District. The students asked her to help them organize the schools participation in National Coming Out day. This is a day when LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer) people organize an event to recognize the importance of being able to be out. The students made T-shirts and buttons that stated “I support LGBT youthâ€. And “National Coming Out Dayâ€. A battle ensued. Flyers and information re: supports available to youth were torn down. The distribution of the buttons and t-shirts were blocked. Ultimately the event happened, but with severe limitations placed on how information about it could be given out. Hundreds of students participated. Other events were organized, including the National Day of Silence. The students wrote books, learned positive self-advocacy skills and expressed that they finally felt like they belonged to something. In the fall of 2003 the group officially became a GSA club (Gay Straight Alliance). There is federal legislation that states that if a school allows any clubs they must allow all clubs.
The battle continued. Efforts to help the students with events were blocked or made difficult at every turn. Policy and procedures were applied differently to anything that had to do with LGBTQ issues.
-Flyers and information not approved by the principal are commonly found on the walls of the school. Anything to do with LGBTQ issues was consistently taken down by the administration, even when verbal approval was given, even though the information was there to HELP students, things like flyers for the GAGV youth group, things like statistics from the GLSEN website that explain why it is important to make safe schools for all students.
-Students were sent home or suspended for “disrupting the educational process†when they “acted too gayâ€. This was done to “protect them from students who were threatening themâ€. One wonders why the students making sense weren’t suspended.
-other staff that tried to help were intimidated into stopping. Staff from outside agencies who worked in the building and tried to help were transferred at the principals request.
-Last September the principal, Joseph Munno, tried to have Erica transferred to another building so that the GSA club would cease to exist. After a fight, she ended up at Marshall 2 days a week and the GSA club continued.
-The harassment continued. Students were brought in and questioned about the group.
-Administrators barged into groups to “observe†making students very uncomfortable and violating the confidentiality policy of the group.
-Erica wasn’t given a proper office. She was forced to work out of a public conference room. She was forced to work in 3 schools with an exceptionally high caseload in order to stay at Marshall at all.
-THIS FALL ERICA HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED. MR. MUNNO GAVE UP A .8 SOCIAL WORK POSITION RATHER THAN HAVE A GSA CLUB IN “HIS’ BUILDING. THERE IS NOBODY COMING FORWARD TO ADVISE THE CLUB, WHICH MEANS THERE WILL BE NO CLUB. BEYOND THE HORROR OF THESE KIDS LOOSING THEIR GSA CLUB, THE FACT THAT THERE WILL ONLY BE 1 SOCIAL WORKER AVAILABLE IN A BUILDING THAT HAS NUMBERS THAT REQUIRED 1.8 POSITIONS IS ABUSIVE TO ALL STUDENTS. STUDENTS WITH MANDATED COUNSELING WILL NOT BE SEEN. EVALUATIONS WILL NOT BE COMPLETED IN A TIMELY MANNER.
THIS IS ONE EXAMPLE OF DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL/GENDER ORIENTATION. THERE ARE OTHERS ACCORSS THE DISTRICT. THIS IS IMPORTANT. STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING TO OTHERS!!!
IF YOU DO NOT LIVE IN THE ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION at http://www.petitiononline.com/worldgsa/petition.html
IF YOU LIVE IN THE ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION AT http://www.petitiononline.com/RochGSA/petition.html
PLEASE WRITE SUPERINTENDENT MANUAL RIVERA AT MANUAL.RIVERA@RCSDK12.ORG. COPY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ON YOU LETTER AT wpowell@rochester.rr.com, porterrcsb@aol.com, domingo@rochester.rr.com, drbowers@frontiernet.net, rbrown@boylanbrown.com, mightymalik@aol.com, sthomps1@rochester.rr.com. WE CANNOT ALLOW LAWS, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT ARE THERE TO PROTECT STUDENTS AND SCHOOL STAFF TO GO UNENFORCED.