Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Teachers refuse to post 'safe space' posters

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Updated 01/25/2006 4:30pm: Picture courtesy of Garibaldi Gay According to an article published by the San Franciso Gate, five teachers have refused to comply with a district order to post safe space posters in their classrooms. The teachers, who work at San Leandro High School, refuse to put up the rainbow-colored poster which wasd designed by the school's Gay-Straight Alliance and reads: "This is a safe place to be who you are." The Principal of the school, Amy Furtado, said that the teachers hold that homosexuality violates their religious beliefs. According to the article:
The high school's Gay-Straight Alliance designed the poster, which includes pink triangles and other symbols of gay pride. In December the school board approved a policy requiring all district teachers to hang the posters in their classrooms. District officials said the poster is an effort to comply with state laws requiring schools to ensure students' safety and curb discrimination and harassment. They say that too often teachers do not reprimand students who use derogatory slurs or refer to homosexuality in a negative way. "This is not about religion, sex, or a belief system,'' said district Superintendent Christine Lim, who initiated the poster policy. "This is about educators making sure our schools are safe for our children, regardless of their sexual orientation." Teachers who refused to display the posters, which were distributed Monday, could not be reached for comment.
===== I don't care if it is against your religious beliefs or not! You are an employee of the state and you MUST treat all people equally and provide for the safety and general welfare of all students. If the disctrict passed the policy then they should follow it. I'm sure those teachers would have been the same type of people who violated the Constitution and continued to lead prayers in the classroom after that was banned. If they don't want to treat everyone fairly and provide for the safety and welfare of marginalized sections of the student population, then I say fire them and hire some people who will. Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , ,