Message from:
Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS, PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020
John Myers, Director of Operations and Programs
Email to:SARATOGANY@aol.com
The Real or Perceived Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Student Protection Project

FYI
Goleta Valley Junior High School
6100 Stow Canyon Road
Goleta, CA 93117
(805) 967-3486
Fax (805) 967-8176
Principal:Dr. Kristine Robertson
Email to:krobertson@sbsdk12.org
Web:http://www.sbceo.k12.ca.us/~sbsdweb/gvjhs_page.html

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Santa Barbara News-Press, October 25, 2002
Box 1359, Santa Barbara, CA, 93102-1359
(Fax:805-966-6258 ) (E-Mail:editorial@newspress.com )
( http://www.newspress.com )

Lesbian's school talk riles parents
Junior high principal to send letter of apology

By Camilla Cohee, News-Press Staff Writer

Goleta Valley Junior High School's principal will send a letter of apology to parents today for failing to notify them about an eighth-grade event, Diversity Day, which included a lesbian discussing homophobia.

The day-long assembly took place last week and featured speakers ranging from a Holocaust survivor to a disabled man - an effort to teach children to be sensitive toward people unlike themselves.

The presentation by the local lesbian ignited a firestorm that spread to the school board meeting Wednesday night. Parents and conservative Christians told trustees that schools should stick to academics and leave what they call "moral education" to parents at home. Some of them suggested that by discussing issues related to homosexuality, schools are promoting that lifestyle.

"As Christians, we think it's very sad that this culture has come to a point where our dear little children have to think about these things," said Evie Prohaska, whose son Steven is in the eighth grade at the school. "They shouldn't be burdened to have to think about someone's sexual preference."

"The Goleta Valley staff has violated our parental rights," she said.

She and others at the meeting cited Education Code 51554, which states that "no student shall receive instruction on AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, human sexuality, or family life in an assembly led by a district teacher or instruction in any setting by an outside agency without the parent being properly notified."

But also present at the meeting were members of the local gay and lesbian community and their allies who cited laws that encourage schools to teach children about respecting diversity. And in light of the killing of a Santa Barbara gay man in February, they say education is essential to making campuses safe for gay and lesbian students, who are often tormented at school and experience the highest rates of teen suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, hate attacks and depression.

"This is about addressing hate and bias. That's what needs to be discussed. The rest is smoke and mirrors," said Janet Stanley, executive director of the Pacific Pride Foundation, a local nonprofit organization that provides services to gays and lesbians.

Had they been notified in advance that "homophobia and heterosexism" would be discussed, some parents said they would have excused their students from the presentation. But even if parents had been notified, Mrs. Prohaska and other Christian conservatives take issue with schools even touching upon subjects related to homosexuality.

Goleta Valley Principal Kristine Robertson, who oversaw and helped create the assembly, deferred to Superintendent of Schools Debbie Flores to comment on concerns raised. Mrs. Flores said Thursday she assisted the principal in crafting a letter of apology to parents that will go out today. The letter, signed by Ms. Robertson, states that parents should have been provided with advance notice of all Diversity Day activities and the lineup of speakers.

"The Diversity Committee and I did not mean to disrespect the views of any parent or student nor diminish a parent's right to make decisions that he/she feels is in their child's best interests. It was not our intention to surprise people or purposely break any policies or rules," the letter states. In the future, the school will notify parents about the event.

Ms. Stanley insisted that the school was not required to notify parents about Diversity Day, or about Monica Arrambide's presentation, because the focus was on combating hate and bias, not sexual orientation. And indeed, Ms. Arrambide, 30, a native of Texas who has lived in Santa Barbara for eight years, stuck to the topic of bias behavior during her 10-minute talk. But during the question-and-answer session that followed, a student asked her when and how she found out she was a lesbian. Ms. Arrambide shared a story about how she was attracted to another girl in the third grade. And some, including Superintendent Flores, believe that she may have crossed the line into the area of "human sexuality," which is inappropriate if parents have not been advised.

Ms. Arrambide spoke at the school board meeting, and later said, "The reaction from kids was very supportive. I didn't get any negative feedback."

Many Goleta Valley students say they benefited from Diversity Day, and Ms. Arrambide's talk. Eighth-grader Fatima Mendez, 13, said some students appeared a little uncomfortable after the presentation and even mentioned in homeroom the next day that it seemed inappropriate. "But a lot of us didn't feel that way, or that she was saying 'Hey, come be a lesbian.' I think the whole point was to make us acknowledge that there are different kinds of people out there," she said.

The Rev. Mark Asman of Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara, who is gay, told school board members Wednesday night that schools are the right place to teach children to be kind and sensitive toward others. "I wish that diversity training would have been there for some of the people who spoke tonight," he said.
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