Anoka-Hennepin School Board Changes GLBT Policy

OutFront Minnesota and Rainbow Families, the Midwest Office of Family Equality Council, two of the state’s leading organizations working for equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Minnesotans, praise the unanimous vote by the Anoka-Hennepin School Board on February 9th to rescind and replace its 1995 “board directive” targeting GLBT-related material in its schools.

 

“This is a tremendous step forward for the state’s largest school district in terms of its service to an increasingly diverse student body, staff, and community,” said Phil Duran, OutFront Minnesota’s staff attorney. “This change of direction is refreshing and the culmination of several years’ work by dedicated community and board members.”

 

The board’s 1995 directive stated that “homosexuality [will] not be taught/addressed as a normal, valid lifestyle” in the context of the district’s health curriculum.  In the intervening years, however, this “health-curriculum” policy influenced decisions ranging from student journalism, after-school clubs, and teacher trainings, all matters well beyond the scope of the health curriculum. 

 

“The implied message to GLBT students, staff, and families was that they are ‘invalid’ or ‘abnormal,’” says Stephanie Hazen, national training and advocacy manager for Rainbow Families, the Midwest Office of Family Equality Council. “This was an incredibly harmful and discriminatory message to send, and contributed to a school environment in which GLBT students, staff, and families felt marginalized.”

 

In a unanimous vote, the Anoka-Hennepin board scrapped the 1995 language and replaced it with a new policy stressing respect for all. While acknowledging that sexual orientation-related material is not formally part of the district-adopted curriculum, the new policy directs that if and when such topics arise, staff address them “in a respectful manner that is age-appropriate, factual, and pertinent to the relevant curriculum.” 

 

“While this may not be a perfect solution, this language is a marked improvement over the previous policy,” says Duran.  “We hope that this language will finally allow the Anoka-Hennepin district to address GLBT-related issues in a forthright manner, and foster a climate conducive to success for all students. Ultimately, we hope the day comes when the district does not perceive a need for a special policy on the topic, but this is nonetheless critical progress.  We appreciate the board’s and staff’s work on this effort.”