Open Letter to NM School that Suspended Students on "Day of Silence"
Monday, April 19, 2010 3:28PM
Dear Administrators at Clovis High,
I was incredibly disappointed to hear that two students were suspended for participating in the Day of Silence on Friday. I read your school district's mission statement, and I believe you have failed.
"Diverse cultural heritage enriches and strengthens our community." How are you supporting diversity by suspending students who are promoting acceptance?
"Each student will develop and consistently demonstrate the character traits of respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship." Two students respectfully demonstrated great courage, conviction, and character in standing against anti-gay bullying and name-calling. They were standing for fairness; caring for the LGBT community; and exercising their First Amendment rights as citizens.
If you truly stand for diversity and uniqueness you should be APPLAUDING these students, not suspending them.
When approximately 90% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered students report being harassed in the past year, it is your responsibility to denounce anti-gay bullying. These students who were suspended are doing what you, as administrators, should be doing every day: drawing attention to issues that need to be addressed; and spreading acceptance and solidarity against anti-gay words and actions. And yet these students were punished.
I urge you to end their suspensions, strike them from their school record, and begin working to create programs and attitudes that promote acceptance; not ignorance and discrimination.
GLSEN -- the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network has a lot of great materials that can help your district. I hope you'll work with them.
You are shaping the minds of the future. You have already made a dangerous step in the wrong direction. I hope you will correct it as soon as possible.
Blake Hayes