Charlotte Observer slams ‘excused absence’ prop by school board member
by Matt | April 11th, 2008 |The Charlotte Observer had earlier reported that anti-gay Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education member Kaye McGarry would be proposing a motion to excuse anti-gay students from classes on Friday, April 25, when students will be participating in the National Day of Silence.
From that article:
School board member Kaye McGarry says she’ll ask her colleagues to approve excused absences for Charlotte-Mecklenburg students who stay home on the April 25 “National Day of Silence,” held to protest harassment of homosexuals.
The annual event, sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, calls attention to name-calling and bullying of homosexual, bisexual and transgendered students. Some students observe the day by remaining mute at school; they may also put tape over their mouths, wear stickers or pass out cards explaining their silence.
[…]
McGarry said she doesn’t approve of any political events in schools: “Whether it’s Christian stuff or Muslim stuff or homosexual stuff, it doesn’t matter.” She said she’ll put a motion for excused absences on the board’s April 15 agenda.
McGarry said she’s been getting calls all year from parents who don’t want their children exposed to the event. That accelerated during last month’s high-profile debate over a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools anti-bullying policy.
Students told the school board that participants in previous silence days have been shoved and called names.
The board approved the anti-bullying policy over the protest of some board and community members who said it could lead to schools promoting homosexuality and squelching the views of some Christians who believe it’s a sin. Afterward, an e-mail from the American Family Association circulated, urging parents to keep their kids home if their school participates.
“By remaining silent, the intent of the pro-homosexual students is to disrupt the classes while promoting the homosexual lifestyle,” says the e-mail, which provides a link listing five Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools and one in Cabarrus County as participants.
Thankfully, CMS administration has already spoken up on the issue. CMS spokesperson Nora Carr told the paper, “Students are not allowed to miss school to avoid events they disagree with.”
Today, The Observer wrote an editorial…
No.
That’s the answer Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools should give to those who want excused absences for students who stay out of school in protest of the “National Day of Silence” April 25. On that day some students won’t talk during school as a protest of harassment of gay students.
So far, CMS has handled this matter correctly. Administrators have reminded principals that students observing the Day of Silence should be given “the same restrictions or access” that they give other student-led activities. That means participants should be allowed the same freedom as other groups such as Christian gatherings where students meet at school flagpoles to pray.
[…]
It’s no secret what’s at the crux of this issue. Some people view any action acknowledging the concerns and problems of gay students as an endorsement of homosexuality. One e-mail about the Day of Silence is explicit. It says: “By remaining silent, the intent of the pro-homosexual students is to disrupt the classes while promoting the homosexual lifestyle.”
But here’s the focus of this year’s event: It is being held in memory of Lawrence King, an openly gay California eighth-grader who was shot to death by a classmate in February.
The Day of Silence spotlights a real problem. No student should have to fear coming to school because of the bullying, name-calling, threats and violence that are too often daily occurrences for some students, especially gay ones. School officials must work to root out such intolerance.
“It’s no secret what’s at the crux of this issue.” Duh. The board member who fought tooth and nail against the anti-bullying policy is no standing against the Day of Silence. I wonder why?
Really, the right doesn’t make it very hard to see their true motives. Ever.
WOW… That was stupid: Original post title said “absense.” It should’ve been “absence” and it has been corrected. I must have had “adsense” on my mind. Either that, or I was just having a stupid moment.
3 Responses to “Charlotte Observer slams ‘excused absence’ prop by school board member”
Kudos to the school administration. This nonsense of allowing the bigots to have the upper hand needs to stop. I’m sure they’ll be running amok on the 28th, their “Day of Truth”. But of course none of the LGBT students or allies tried to weasel out of that…
By Buffy on Apr 15, 2008
I whole-heartedly agree with Buffy. The school did the right thing. The sad part is, I know that several people in my school are taking the day off because of the NDoS… Excused or not.
My school won’t let us start an Alliance and it won’t let us have couples pricing for our prom tickets for GLBT couples. I find what my school is doing to be just wrong. We are a public school. We are, by law, allowed to have an alliance. I’ve called the news and they’re looking into doing a story.
By Stefany on Apr 15, 2008