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Christophobic Education

Delaine Eastin's Task Force on Hate

By Eric Reslock

According to department of education documents obtained by a Sacramento pro-family lobbying group, Delaine Eastin, California's superintendent of public instruction formed a 38-member task force in December to develop strategies for implementing positive messages about gay, lesbian, transgender, gender variant, or gender non-conforming student behavior in all California schools in grades K-12. The proposed state mandates are meant to cover curricula, student surveys, libraries, athletics and other activities.

The group is called the AB 537 Advisory Task Force -- after assembly bill 537, the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000. Governor Davis signed the measure into law on October 2, 1999. Assembly bill 537 prohibits discrimination in California's public schools on the same basis used in the definition of hate crimes under California law. Two new prohibited forms of discrimination and harassment were established in California's public schools under the bill: actual or perceived sexual orientation and actual or perceived gender. According to the department of education, the author of the legislation, openly lesbian Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) is working with the secret group to develop the draft document.

In January, Eastin's group drafted a list of 12 specific recommendations along with strategies for implementing pro-homosexual policies throughout California's school system in a document obtained by Capitol Resource Institute. In addition, the group plans to maintain a permanent advisory committee that will give input during cyclical reviews of the state's content standards and curriculum frameworks revisions. Assembly bill 537 does not specifically authorize the department of education to create a task force and pro-family groups believe the 12 recommendations and strategies outlined in the department's non-publicized report exceed the broad mandates passed by the legislature and signed into law by the governor.

One of the major recommendations is to "ensure that exemplary educational resources used to eliminate discrimination, harassment, and hate-motivated violence on the basis of actual or perceived gender-identity and sexual orientation are identified and developed for use in California's K-12 schools." Eastin's group intends that these resources not only be blended into existing curriculum, but they also intend to "integrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender historical figures, events, concepts, and issues in school libraries and as part of the content standard revision in history/social science, language arts, health, math/science, reading, and K-12 reading programs."

For teachers and administrators, the group suggests putting together a permanent cadre of state-approved "AB 537 trainers" that would develop specific training for coaches, physical education teachers, and other school staff.

Some school districts are already considering changes to curricula that are in line with the goals of the department. The Buena Vista school board will consider this spring whether to offer a plan called Preventing Prejudice -- Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Lesson Plan Guide for elementary schools. It was produced by the Lesbian and Gay Parents Association and the Buena Vista Lesbian and Gay Parents group. The introduction to the lesson plan asserts "homophobia runs rampant in our nation's elementary schools.... Where do young children learn these insults? From movies. From TV. From parents." The association also produced the Healthy Relationships Curriculum. In a section called "Homophobic Myths and Facts," one of the myths presented is "homosexuality is abnormal and sick." This is followed by a 'fact' that "it is no more abnormal or sick to be a homosexual than to be left handed. Homophobia is abnormal and sick." At the bottom of the page, it reads, "This page may be reproduced for classroom use."

Another department task force recommendation is to "modify existing data gathering systems to provide information on the prevalence in school of threats, harassment, or violence against students based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity". The rationale the task force gives for this is the lack of any broad-based, ongoing system that collects anecdotal evidence of harassment against homosexuals in schools. The Federal Bureau of Investigation tracks hate-motivated crimes nationwide and found last year that adjusted hate crimes (crimes not classified as "other" or "crimes against society") were about 0.01 percent of total crimes committed.

To get better numbers, the task force recommends expanding existing surveys, like the California Healthy Kids Survey. Over 400,000 students in grades five, seven, nine, and 11 currently take the test in California. State law requires that these surveys be given only with parental consent. According to Capitol Resources, surveys are regularly given to students without parents' knowledge. While some of the questions on the existing questionnaire already ask about violence and intimidation, the task force recommends an expansion of the survey to include more questions about possible hate crimes or bias. One strategy outlined for implementing an expanded test is to "remove the positive parental consent requirement for student participating in the Healthy Kids survey." Some of the questions that have already appeared on California school surveys are: (9th grade) My favorite erogenous zones are ______________. I feel comfortable touching persons of my own sex (true or false). To me a homosexual lifestyle is ______________. (7th grade) Intercourse is the best kind of sex (true or false). Homosexuals are born that way (true or false). A large penis is more likely to satisfy a woman (true or false).

Louise Chiatovich heads the department's Safe Schools program, which oversees the task force. When asked to confirm the department's proposal to do away with the positive parental consent required for school surveys, she said, "I've heard that, but I'm not sure if it will stay in. The legal department is looking at the proposal. Some things won't work." Chiatovich emphasized that the task force is a citizens' advisory group that does not determine the department's final policy. "The [group] has some recommendations. Whatever they recommend doesn't just happen," Chiatovich said.

Attorney Scott Lively of the Sacramento-based Pro-family Law Center said that the proposal will "almost certainly not pass constitutional muster." Karen Holgate of Capitol Resource Center said that task force member Senator Kuehl is preparing a way around the state law that requires parental consent for surveys and discussions or materials on human sexuality in schools by introducing new legislation. But, she said, there are more problems with the task force's work than their desire to do away with parental consent. Holgate said, "The strategies outlined in this report create a climate where children who hold beliefs based on biblical standards could be determined as exhibiting bias that is deemed detrimental toward sexual orientation or gender identity."

The strategies outlined by the task force go beyond classrooms and libraries. Specifically for the transgendered in student populations, the group urges that schools to develop "best practice recommendations for school districts" that should "address issues related to locker room facilities, restrooms, and dress code."

The final recommendation for the task force is to submit to the California state board of education a revised and edited hate-motivated violence policy for the state. In a draft of this document obtained by the Capitol Resource Institute the proposed revisions are made clear. In each instance where local districts currently have the option of implementing policies dealing with hate-violence, the voluntary words are crossed out and the words "shall" and "will" are inserted. These changes eliminate current local control over the issues and replaces the existing policy with a state mandate. Another sentence was amended to read, "All schools should work to foster positive behavior and attitudes about diversity among all students and staff members through curriculum and instruction strategies." The sentence now says, "All schools shall...." On the department's web site, a page reads, "Agenda for Education in California." Number two on the list is "increase local control over decisions."

On the third page of the proposed revised text, three paragraphs that mentioned lessons and curricula dealing with genocide were crossed out. These sentences described the intent and purpose of curriculum, which included the document, Model Curriculum for Human rights and Genocide. The following paragraph was one of those eliminated: "There is no more urgent task for educators in the field of history and social science than to teach students about the importance of human rights and to analyze with them the actual instances in which genocide -- the ultimate violation of human rights -- has been committed. We study the atrocities of the past not only to preserve their significance as historical events but also to help identify ways to prevent the atrocities from ever happening again."

The draft policy revision by Eastin's task force replaces the human rights and genocide material with a different governing document for the department's hate-motivated violence policy. The new document is called Hate-Motivated Behavior in Schools. The paragraph replacing the one on genocide reads: "California schools have a constitutional and moral obligation to protect children on campus and to maintain a safe, secure learning environment. Addressing hate-motivated behavior is an important part of this obligation. It is our intent to provide an environment that further allows persons to realize their full individual potential through an understanding and appreciation of the society's diversity of race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. To accomplish this objective, the district will be accountable through a visible commitment to human rights."

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