From:Nancegar@aol.com
Date:Tue, 19 Sep 2000 10:51:55 EDT

Nancy Garden (Nancegar@aol.com)
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Short summary of what happened in Acushnet...

A teacher at the Ford Middle School in Acushnet was at the GLSEN Conference and did a workshop on how to include homosexual issues in the curriculum. The Massachusetts News was at the workshop and basically wrote a scathing article on her and her intentions.. she spoke of a unit she taught on the holocaust and discrimination which included homosexuals that were killed. The Massachusetts News sent their newspaper with the article on her on the front page to every household in Acushnet. The headline was , "GAY Agenda Promoted in Acushnet's Middle School. Lesbian Teacher explained her Blueprint at Fistgate." The school superintendent called the article "scurrilous". Nevertheless, calls flooded the superintendent's office after copies of the newspaper arrived at homes. Parents wanted to know if the charges made by the newspaper were true and they wanted to know more about the Mass. News, a publication many had never seen before. After a school committee meeting, it was announced that "teachers instructing students on the Holocaust will no longer be able to include gays in their discussion of tolerance for minority groups..." The topic of homosexuality was banned from Acushnet Middle school's anti-prejudice curriculum.

The September 20th community event was initiated by Greater New Bedford PFLAG and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fairhaven in response to the school committee's decision. If you can come to support Safe Schools in Acushnet, New Bedford and Fairhaven, please make every effort to attend.

This is a community event sponsored by Greater New Bedford Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the Unitarian Memorial Church, and PFLAG Safe Schools.

Warren J. Blumenfeld, author and educator, will present a slide show titled "Homosexuals and the German Holocaust," followed be a panel of speakers.

We hope that many of you will be there to support Safe Schools in Acushnet Public Schools. Currently, the School Committee has voted to forbid discussion on issues around Homosexuality in the public schools. Please feel free to call or email with any questions you may have.

Pam Garrimone
PFLAG Safe Schools
(781) 891-5966
Pflagsafeschools@aol.com

----------------------- Headers --------------------------------
Date:Thu, 14 Sep 2000 12:08:52 -0400
From:"Warren J. Blumenfeld" blumenfeld@educ.umass.edu
Subject:September 20th Fairhaven Community Event
X-Sender:blumenfe@mailsrv-unix.oit.umass.edu

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