LGBT advocates are encouraging people to attend this Thursday’s DISD board of trustees meeting, where a final vote is expected on an LGBT-inclusive bullying policy.
“Come see history being made,” said Rafael McDonnell, a spokesman for Resource Center Dallas. “We would certainly like to see a packed crowd of people supporting the policy. You can stop by on your way home.”
The meeting is at 5:30 p.m. in the Ada L. Williams Auditorium at 3700 Ross Ave. in Dallas.
If the measure is approved, the district will become the first in the state to adopt an LGBT-inclusive bullying policy.
McDonnell said RCD Executive Director Cece Cox is slated to address the board of trustees prior to the vote. The center was also working to line up DISD students to speak.
None of the school district’s nine trustees objected to the proposed policy when it was first discussed in a work session two weeks ago, but McDonnell said he’s not taking anything for granted.
To read the policy, go here.
Sorry Dallas, but Fort Worth ISD beat you by more than a year at including sexual orientation in it’s bullying/harassment set of protected classes! https://www.fwisd.org/safe/Documents/Bullying%20Handout.pdf And see pgs 6-8 pg the Ctudent Code Of Conduct: https://www.fortworthisd.org/services/Documents/scoc.pdf
If the DISD trustees take it a step further and include gender identity and expression, they’ll be trailblaizers once more! If not, then folks who enjoy being on the cutting edge are welcome to cross the county line to visit us in Ft. Worth — where the west begins — again!
@David: We’re splitting hairs here, but DISD has had anti-harassment and nondiscrimination policies that include sexual orientation for years. I think the difference here is that the policy applies specifically to bullying, and that it includes gender identity/expression. As far as we can tell, this is a first for Texas.
@John: I’m all for DISD raising the bar to include gender identity/expression. And yes, I think you’re correct that this would be a first in the state. That wasn’t clear in the first post, which, BTW, the Dallas Morning News has picked up and reported on sourcing your paper. (DV has rightly called out DMN when not sourcing or getting facts wrong, so be careful when that river runs the other direction, for all of us.) The article as put up leads a reader to believe that there are no districts in Texas that have policies covering sexual orientation. Most of us would say that’s more than splitting hairs. The clarity will be important. DISD (I think) has had some form of anti-bullying/harassment measure with an odd nomenclature for sexual orientation — can’t recall at the moment what it was. If this policy passes not only will that be cleaned up, but other districts will have to play catch-up on the transgender issue. How about some research? Call around and do a comparison of the major school districts in the state. Get copies of their actual policies and put them side by side.
And BTW, McDonnell and Cox are doing amazing work! I hope folks heed their call to turn out and show the DISD trustees what a powerful, productive set of stakeholders our community really is.
@David: I haven’t seen The DMN article in question, but our post says “LGBT-inclusive,” which of course means both sexual orientation and gender identity.
I will tell u this as a DISD Product there has been some time when I’ve been picked on and now I guess it’s about time, but even If I was ever on the board, I would do thing that would like to see pass to make sure with anything other students don’t have to go though that I’ve gone though. I still in the middle since all of a sudden the Gay Community they have realized that bulling is a problem now, and has been for ages and that we all are doing something about it now? I really think that Joel Burns for example is just a show-off and just like the Gay Version of Sarah Palin. Agian, why is he relizing that this is a problem now. I’ll give Glee a little leadway since it started last year. It good to see this going on, but my question is why not? Where was this when I needed it? @John you are wrong, I haven’t seen any anti-bulling laws in the DISD books, Again, they say they have the most anti-bullying laws in the state, which is BS and what did they do when I was in pain? Nothing!