so i attended the westminster school board meeting last night, fittingly, on april fool's day. observations and rants follow, with apologies for my lack of clarity and cohesiveness.
substantively, nothing happened, as the motion to adopt the revised complaint procedure SO AS TO NOT DISCRIMINATE was "laid on the table" by esteemed trustee Judy Ahrens. the district has until april 12 to adopt complaint procedures that conform with state requirements, or face the loss of $40 million in funding from state and federal resources, nearly half the district's budget.
basically , the district is free to discriminate against gays and transgendered persons until the state takes over managment of the district.
at times, the board meeting resembled a jerry springer show, replete with boos, cheers, jeers, and sneers.
a recurring sentiment was the embarassment of being associated with the westminster school district, be it teacher, parent, community member, former student, former board member.
to which one fundie wingnut replied, "so leave." *lusty boos*
ummm, is this 2004 in america? did i just hear that?
my goodness, we've got some ignorant, fear-peddling people down here. yeah, i know i'm behind the orange curtain, but it
still boggles my mind. i heard no single intelligent remark in support of the board majority's vote.
a teacher in the district rebuked the board majority in the lyrical, sing-songy, way she would with her pupils: "it's soooo sad when you make baaad choices." *jeering laughs and cheers*
the poignant part of the public comments were the passionate and heartfelt statements from transgendered persons, gays and lesbians, and parents of gays and lesbians. each account resulted in thunderous applause and cheers.
a trangendered woman spoke of growing up on a farm as a little boy knowing she was different. she spoke of her service in the army. in response to a comment made by Trustee Blossie Marquez-Woodcock, she said, "I am not trash."
one woman, the parent of a gay high school student, related the accounts of almost-daily physical abuse her son faced because of his sexual orientation. when she complained to the administration, their suggestion was that her son should get a GED. he had to finish high school through independent study.
had columbine h.s. adopted such a procedure, maybe we wouldn't be here talking about this - those two kids weren't gay, but they obviously needed an outlet for their mounting frustration and helplessness when faced with physical abuse from other students.
but we are talking about this, and we need to protect
all the children.
the board majority cite their christian values as their sole authority for refusing to adopt the revised complaint procedures. but Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor.
i've observed not one iota of the board majority's love for the children of westminster. in their smug, belligerent manner, all i hear are resounding gongs and clanging cymbals.
Recent Comments