Illinois high school students/alumni fight for LGBT friendly staff
by Matt | February 22nd, 2006 |MattHillNC.com Q-triad Blog EXCLUSIVE
According to a MySpace user account, students and alumni of Vernon Hills High School in Vernon Hills, Illinois, are currently advocating on behalf of an LGBT-friendly school social worker who is up for review and coming under scrutiny for her support of establishing a gay-straight student club and puushing for a support group for LGBT students.
According to the MySpace account, Social Worker Rebecca Stern wanted to start an LGBT and straight allied support group which would meet once a month to discuss issues affecting the LGBT students. The MySpace account, run by Brittany “Joey” Barranco, claims that administrators of the high school are unfairly and biasedly using Stern’s support of the LGBT group against her in the upcoming review.
According to the MySpace account:
As most of us know, Mrs. Stern clearly supports the GLBT (gay/lesbian/bi/trans) community. In a high school like ours where it is far too conservative and far too narrow-minded, Vernon Hills tends to be the perfect advocate of an UNSAFE environment for these GLBT students. How can we allow the high school we spent four years of our lives in, turn their backs to a community that most needs it?
GLBT issues effect not just white people, not just christians, it effects everybody. GLBT issues have no race, no gender, no creed. Statistics clearly have shown that students who are GLBT have the highest rate of suicide and depression. So then why is Vernon Hills High School so eager to kill these students by not re-signing the one person in the school that offers them the MOST support, education, and care that they need?
Why am I even writing this? Why is she being let go? The answers are complicated, but I will do my best to explain what I can.
One major reason that Mrs. Stern is being called into question by the head administrators of VHHS is because she wanted to start a GLBT support group. What would that group do? Pull students out of class once a month to sit in a safe environment and go over GLBT issues with one another in absolute confidence and confidentiality. VHHS has a support group for many other issues like divorced parents, anger management, and so forth, so what is the harm in adding one more support group so that students can perform better in the school?
Attempts at reaching Barranco on Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful.
In an email exchangd with the staff person in question, however, some more details came to light.
According to Stern, her upcoming review (which should be held next week), is one of the regularly scheduled reviews which many states require school personnel to take part in. Job performance reviews are also required of teachers in the State of North Carolina.
Stern, however, says that there have been numerous steps taken which are not usually taken for most staff reviews:
This is a regulary scheduled review, however, usually we are asked to write up a brief summary of our accomplishments before the meeting. I have not been asked to do that. Also, our principal has been invited to the meeting which is abnormal. I have asked our union rep to join me in the meeting. This is my 5th year with the district. My four previous evaluations have been exemplary.
Stern said that when asked about what she could bring to her job when being hired a gay-straight student club was what she mentioned.
“I mentioned that I noticed they did not have a GSA and that I could sponsor one,” Stern said in reference to her job interview.
She also mentioned that the administration told her the club would have to be started by the students and not her. Stern waited three years until a student wanted to start a gay-straight student club and then she sponsored it.
In reference to Stern’s current situation regarding support for a confidential LGBT support group, she had the following to say:
In our school of over 1300 kids we do not have one out staff member or student. It is an unsafe environment. Due to the success of our GSA pilot last year the GLBT kids are coming out of the woodwork to me and only me. They do not attend GSA meetings for the most part. I wanted to start a GLBT confidential support group so that they could meet each other and support each other. I was denied. A support group has never been denied at VHHS before. Suddenly I’m losing my job.
For now, Stern is taking the time to thank the hundreds of parents, co-workers, students and alumni who have contacted her and supported her. She is awaiting the district hearing where, ultimately, it will be decided on whether or not she keeps her job.
Until then Stern wants to let people know that she loves where she works, she loves the school, the staff and the students.
“I love the school that I work at and the people who work in it. I did not want to create controversy.”
Stay tuned to MattHillNC.com’s Q-triad Blog for more on this issue
Technorati Tags: gay youth, gay, lgbt, gay rights, vernon hills high school, illinois, rebecca stern, myspace, high school, gay straight alliance
Matt, 22, is an LGBT journalist, activist and youth advocate currently living and working in Charlotte, N.C., where he serves as the Editor of Q-Notes, the Carolinas' LGBT news source. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Matt attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is still continuing to pursue his bachelors degree. He is the Owner & Editor of InterstateQ.com and has been active in LGBT advocacy work since the age of 14.
View all posts by Matt