www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News New York sued over 'gay' high school

Using a rule prohibiting discrimination based on "sexual orientation," a group of New Yorkers filed suit yesterday challenging NYC's use of public funds to establish the first homosexuals-only high school in the Big Apple.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34075

Rose,

Yup. I once attended a college that prohibited against discriminating against people due to race, ethnic background, sex, etc.

Then they held job fairs every year for minorities. Non-minority students could not attend the fair even thought they too were looking for a job and made up about 95% of the students. There were no job fairs in those days for ALL the students complying with the anti-discrimination rules.

Then I wrote them a letter ... and now they no longer hold discriminatory job fairs.

It will be interesting how the above lawsuit ends. The 'gay' high school using tax dollars is very much discriminatory.

Joe


Joe

Hmm, I thought segregation was declared unconstitutional for public schools a few decades ago.

Logos Teen

First, discrimination. Now, segregation. This is getting deeper and deeper ...

I really feel that we need to keep these people in prayer, they are going to be under tremendous attack. But, they are right in doing what they have done. Fighting back through our legal system should work, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

If a Christian school excluded a homosexual because of his preferences, the ACLU would have all sorts of law suits going on to stop them. Where is the ACLU now? This whole thing is fine with them, because ultimatlely this is what they want, their agenda for our society. Descrimination the way they see it to be is their forte'.

Rose

Just a question: If a heterosexual student wished to attend this school, would he or she be permitted to do so?


SHaron

After reading CNN, I'll answer my own question - the school is open to all students.

Sharon

Ok, good. This is what I was worried about, and thus my "unconstitutional" comment.

Logos Teen

Well then all the children in the area that are going to schools that are less than what this one is should go there. The city put the funds into fixing it up, over three million, it has 100 students and they expect 400 when it is full? Then if eveyone can go there why are they having registration and taking in kids from the area that have to be bused or would do better in a quiter environment to learn. If there was a Catholic school that wanted government funds to fix things up it would be denied.

Seems to me an inequality. The city put the money into a school that is funded by an outside organinzation strictly for that purpose. Why couldn't they put all of that money into the inner city schools that are in such poor shape?

I guess this just aggravats me since I know parents with children with disabilities that can't get the help they need to educate their children, such as someone with dyslexia, and yet they spend the money like this. No wonder the education system in the US is in such a mess.

It certainly is a difficult problem, trying to provide education both for the "kids" as well as for adults. (America's greatest victory is the establishment of the community college system - known nowhere else in the world - with doors open to all.)

Of course, addressing the educational system for kids who "have to go to school" is a different issue. There are, to be sure, exclusionary public schools - Boston Latin has an entrance exam; so does Jefferson High School for Science here in Fairfax, Virginia. So does the High School for the Arts in NYC. (What was the name of that movie???)

These schools are "segregated" based not upon race, religion, color of skin, or whatever, but rather on serving the specific talents and needs of the students.

The problem lies, I believe in two major areas. First, a lot of kids are poorly socialized either because of not-good or no parenting or 'society's pressure'. The kids have a real hard time sitting in long rows of bolted seats and listening to someone tell them stuff, oftentimes stuff that is either irrelevant or very poorly presented. No wonder a significant number take drugs to zone out.

The second issue is money. A local school district here in metro DC is only now air-conditioning its schools - the community didn't want to waste the money. Everyplace else is air-conditioned, but hey, they're just kids - they can tough it out.

There aren't enough textbooks for students - they have to share because some books got 'lost' or just fell apart. (Check out textbook and reference book prices at Borders or Barnes and Noble. Bring smelling salts.)

Teacher salaries stink - big time. To teach, you need a minimum of a bachelor's degree; for middle and high school, you need a master's. Why take a teaching job when you can earn double the salary in private industry? And not have to worry about being knifed in the hallway? So, while there are decent numbers of martyrdom-oriented folks who stay in the classroom, many throw in the towel. And the replacements are oftentimes those who are just looking for a job. And then the students get bored, and take more downers, and zone out, and the teachers get frustrated, and their replacements are crappy, etc. etc.

(When I earned my doctorate a while back, I found only three college level positions to apply for. Two were outside the country. The one here was in Connecticut. I was working for a medical association, serving as an educational project director. The Connecticut faculty position offered a salary of $29,900. My secretary made more than that. Talk about a kick in the shins. But the "prestige" of being a college professor. Yeah, but you can't eat prestige and it doesn't pay the light bill.)

Public schools are the responsibility of the superintendent of schools, who, in turn, is responsible to the elected school committee. The vast majority of school-committee members seem to move on to 'higher' political positions, indicating that school-committee is a prelude to political life.

While teaching in Fall River, Mass., of Lizzie Borden fame, there was an election and a school committee candidate had his workers out on the street corners in academic robe and mortar boards, ringing big old-fashioned yard bells. I thought has this SOB been in a classroom in the last 20 years? Kids in T's and jeans, beer parties, sex parties, drugs, decrepit buildings, ripped or non-existant textbooks, cracked chalkboards, buckling floors, and cafeteria meals that even the homeless would reject.

The problem? Funding.

So, I see the establishment of the so-called 'gay' high school as an attempt to provide a 'safe' environment for kids who are designated as "queer" and therefore at the top of the list of potential victims of school violence.

As a side note, the original institution was established by a psychiatrist (whom I knew personally: Dr. Emery Hetrick) who had to deal with suicidal gay kids. At his passing, his other-half, an educator, used the legacy to enrich the institute (known as the Hetrick-Martin Institute). When charter schools became possible, the Institute which had a long track record of providing quality education, applied for and obtained a 'charter'. The curriculum is a standard NYS high school curriculum, with all the tests and measurements under the Board of Regents. The kids generally do quite well since they don't have to worry about being beaten up in the halls or on the street. For them, it's a safe place.

There is certainly a need for betterment in education. (I have a cousin who has Down Syndrome, and her parents have fought constantly to ensure that gets a quality education. They fought for, and achieved, mainstreaming for her; but it was a constant struggle. My hat is off to them and the other parents who do the same.)

So, the next time there is a bond referendum, or a potential increase in real estate tax to support the schools, I suggest that we each take the time to actually VISIT one of our schools, during the day, while classes are in session and actually SEE what the situation is. Oh yeah, and go have lunch in the cafeteria.

Lots of folks are easy on the lip-service that "our children are our greatest natural resource", but when it comes to protecting and enhancing this resource,...... well, it costs too much money.

Blessings!

Blessings to Dr. John. I have been wondering if some of the contributors are truly unaware of bullying, both in the form of incessant and highly destructive verbal abuse and in the form of outright physical violence - or is this perhaps considered a joke, or a legitimate part of the educational process? Incognitus

Rose,

That is a separation of Church and State. But they don't mind taking your money ...

Joe

I think Dr. Johns points are well taken, and yes I am aware that some harrasment goes on.

"some harrasment goes on" - what a lovely, dismissive phrase. Try explaining to a child who has just been beaten to a bloody pulp by a gang of 4 or 5 of his/her bashing "schoolmates" that, well "some harrasment goes on". Or better yet, listen to the teachers and the school administration hand out the line that "we're not policemen". Then try remembering that most of these children, whom the bashers perceive as gays, are in fact not gay - it's just a handy epithet to use to justify bullying - er, excuse me, I of course mean "some harrassment". Incognitus

"...some harrasment goes on..."

Or be the teacher or principal that has to announce to the school that Johnny or Janey will not be attending school any longer because he/she has committed suicide...

Trust me, THIS is a life-changing experience...

mark