Traveller, et al--What are your thoughts about this...

CNN) -- Public school officials in Chicago, Illinois, are recommending approval of a "gay-friendly" high school because harassment and violence are causing gay students to skip class and drop out at alarming rates.




School officials say the proposed school would offer a welcoming, harassment-free environment for gay students.

The School for Social Justice Pride Campus, which officials say will not be exclusive to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, is aimed at being safe and welcoming for any student looking for another school option, said Josh Edelman, executive officer in the Chicago Public Schools' Office of New Schools.
"It is not going to be a 'gay high school,' but yes, in a way, it is meant to target kids who feel they have been victims of bullying for their sexual orientation or perceived orientation," Edelman said.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan announced his recommendation Wednesday. Officials said Pride Campus would be separate physically but be attached administratively to the School for Social Justice.

School officials said the standards and curriculum for the school would be in line with other schools in the district. The school would also offer counseling for students, though because of federal laws, officials cannot ask students about their sexual orientation. The curriculum would not rely on, but would incorporate lessons about, sexual identity in history and literature classes, officials said.

"It's about creating another option for kids," Edelman said. "When it comes down to it, though, it is all about having a choice and providing high-quality options for students, whether they are gay or not."

The school could be a lifeline for students who are struggling for academic success.Gay and lesbian students are three times more likely to miss school because they feel unsafe, according to a 2003 Chicago Public School District survey. And a study released Wednesday by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network showed similar trends across the country.

The national study, which the group says is the most comprehensive report ever on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students nationwide, found that 86.2 percent of those students reported being verbally harassed, 44.1 percent physically harassed and 22.1 percent physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.

This harassment, the study concludes, has affected students' ability to achieve success in school, causing their grade-point level to be, on average, half a point lower than that of heterosexual students nationwide.

Dropout levels are higher among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students because of more frequent truancy, the study found. Almost 32 percent of those students missed a class because of feeling unsafe, compared with only 5.5 percent of heterosexual students nationwide, the study said.
Truancy and lower grades aren't the only repercussions of anti-gay sentiments in schools, said Kevin Jennings, the founder and executive director of GLSEN. He cited the killing of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old student shot by a classmate in Oxnard, California, in February after King asked to be his valentine.

Jennings said the repercussions of harassment alone underscore the need for Pride Campus.

"If we keep doing nothing, we are going to keep getting these horrifying levels of harassment, greater rates of skipping, not going to college and more tragic violence like the murder of Lawrence King," he said. "Those are our choices. We can continue to do nothing, and we know the results, or we can save young people's lives and offer them an education and a future."

A similar school in New York, the Harvey Milk High School in the East Village, was created because of similar fears.

The school, which had been around since 1985, serving gay and lesbian students, expanded to a "gay-themed" school for 100 students in 2003. The Pride Campus is expected to serve 600 students, school officials said.

Harvey Milk High School, like the Pride Campus, is open to all students regardless of sexual orientation. But unlike the proposed school in Chicago, Harvey Milk requires its attendees to be at risk of dropping out because of harassment.

Harvey Milk boasts a graduation rate of 95 percent of its students -- all of whom were at risk of or had dropped out -- well above the city average of 52 percent.

When the school opened its doors, protesters, led by anti-gay Kansas minister Fred Phelps, screamed at supporters gathered outside to repent for their "sodomite behavior."

Edelman said that while some concerns have been raised about Pride Campus at community meetings, officials have not heard any large-scale opposition.

One Chicago resident said at a meeting that he could not support the school because of his religious beliefs, Edelman said. Others told local media they didn't support the use of public money to create the school. Some thought that if gay students went to the Pride Campus, students in other schools would not learn to accept the gay community. Instead, they suggested, the focus should be working toward acceptance in all schools.

"Absolutely, we should work for [acceptance] across the board," said Jennings, the GLSEN executive director. "But it's not going to change overnight, and in the meantime, these kids aren't going to graduate."

Jennings said that GLSEN research shows acceptance among peers is helped by having a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender support group at school.

The most important factor, according to the GLSEN study, is the existence of a state law that protects students from harassment based on their sexual orientation.

Thirty-nine states, including Illinois and New York, do not have laws offering that specific protection, Jennings said citing the GLSEN study. Some have laws, but they don't specify on what basis the protections apply, which Jennings said was essentially as effective as having no law at all. California, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin are the only states with specific sexual orientation protections for students.

The Chicago School Board will vote October 22 to approve the School for Social Justice Pride Campus in addition to 17 other proposed schools.



As far as Jennings is concerned, the school board's choice is an easy one.
"The choice they are making is not should we have this kind of school," he said. "The question is 'Are we going to do anything we can to get these kids an education?' And there's only one right answer -- yes."

They arent the first to propose such--- a similar proposal was turned down here in the Twin Cities a few years back. My Director and I were just chatting about this and we pretty much agree that, it's truly a mater of disciplining the "bullies" and utilizing the Guidance Counselors, Social Workers, and/or Psychologist in working with Kids that are being bullied due to their sexual orientation. This School choice thing is getting outta hand..

The Twin Cities should step up her game and try to create an environment that will protect these people. we can't control their sexual orientation. For those under 18 years, there could be program that can be focus on them to see if they can change their mind and be straight. This program should not be force upon them though.

We find ourselves in a comtemporary world. Things are changing and hate will carry us no where.

bellah stop...change their minds and be straight?

The Parents and committee Members kicked against the proposal here in Minnesota because they didn't feel as though these kids needed to be seperated from the heterosexual kids to receive instruction.

that will be worse.. tackle the issue and deal with it cuz if you give them a separate environ to learn they'll still have to interact with the other kids at some point...

i think a safe space is a good option. it takes time to report, identify and deal with a bully. targeted kids may not report instances of harassment because of fear and further harassment. in cases where people thing that all is going well and there are no underlying issues re bullying in the school environment, it is difficult to take immediate actions.

the counseling aspect is good for the bilateral interaction with an experienced professional.

I think this is a bit of a cop out. Gay kids are not the only ones harassed in schools. In fact, sexual orientation hate crimes still fall way below those motivated by race according to FBI statistics. The focus here ought to be on preventing ALL kids from dropping out for whatever reason. If you create a "gay friendly" school then why not create ELL friendly schools or Black friendly schools........oh wait, we already have those and they happen to be the vast majority of poorly funded urban public schools in America. Illnois is going through its own set of problems with its public schools and Arne Duncan is desperately trying to save his reputation and establish a legacy. A little while ago, he wanted to shut down several schools rather than negotiate witht he teacher unions and of course those schools were predominantly black and low performing. There is another game that is being played here and it tightly wrapped up in local and national politics.

Traveller wrote:

I think this is a bit of a cop out. Gay kids are not the only ones harassed in schools. In fact, sexual orientation hate crimes still fall way below those motivated by race according to FBI statistics. The focus here ought to be on preventing ALL kids from dropping out for whatever reason. If you create a "gay friendly" school then why not create ELL friendly schools or Black friendly schools........oh wait, we already have those and they happen to be the vast majority of poorly funded urban public schools in America. Illnois is going through its own set of problems with its public schools and Arne Duncan is desperately trying to save his reputation and establish a legacy. A little while ago, he wanted to shut down several schools rather than negotiate witht he teacher unions and of course those schools were predominantly black and low performing. There is another game that is being played here and it tightly wrapped up in local and national politics.

Well, this is certainly not the best way to go about it. The Parents I'm sure will kick against this. What Parent would want thier child to be seperated from the other kids because of being teased about their sexual orientation. I grew up here and work in a school---so I know how cruelkids can be........but seperating these kids is NOT the answer at all. MJ and I were talking about this last night and we were thinking the same thing....Why not just have a school for all blacks or all obese kids....kids are teased and bullied for varying reasons....

and what will happen to them when they enter the "REAL WORLD" it'll be the same thing, so it's best you learn to cope and deal with those issues at a younger age. Seperating is def not a long term solution.

What the school needs to do is get serious about its anti-bullying policies and its disciplinary measures. The school also needs to involve parents and contract someone like the Anti-Defamation League to come in and run some sensitivity training for students AND teachers/administrators. Then the school should get even more serious about workingon the other root causes for the dropout crisis. Fifty-five of the 620 public high schools in Illinois produce the vast majority of teh dropouts in the state. Illinois needs to strengthen its school accountability system, shore up their early warning indicators system, and strengthen their student data quality system as ways to fix their dropout problem. That will serve ALL students and not just those who identify themselves as GLBT.

What about fat kids and ugly kids and cool kids and african booty scratcher kids do they all get separate schools too...For god sake I was bullied too.....Eventually I got tired of getting my nose bloodied and fought back...

America needs a Gay Martin Luther King....


Im against any form of segregation....gay children should not be pacified by the system...

A safe environment for AL:L students should be fostered in the schools. Diversity sensitivity should be part of the ciriculum and is in some systems. Seperating groups of individuals because of their differences does nothing for encouraging us to develop tolerance for one another.

You can't run away or hide from this changing world. America still struggling with accepting black people as evidenced by the racism rearing its ugly head during this election.

But it is a useless struggle beacuse the world is becoming more and more Brown everyday. We need to stop the struggle and learn to except people and treat each other decently.