From: Heather McRae [mailto:rnmcrae@live.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 9:34 AM
To: info@equalrightswashington.org
Subject: Request for your help

Hello,

My name is Heather McRae.  I live in Cashmere, WA.  I am writing to ask for your help publicizing a very important issue.

On January 29th, a 14 year old boy who attended the same Middle School that my two boys attend, took his own life.  He was openly gay, and his friends stated that he was the focus of continual bullying.  The school admits that there was one reported incident, but said that it was handled appropriately, and there were no further instances of bullying.  The sheriff's investigation of the death found no evidence that he was bullied, and that it was simply a suicide.  There was no public admission of any of this until there was a petition started on a website called Change.org.  The school did not communicate with parents at all, either by anything sent home with the kids or on their website.  I would not have known about it except that my kids told me the day after it happened.  The newspaper, several weeks after the death, finally acknowledged it, and stated that the impetus to mention it was a petition on Change.org.

About a month after the suicide, another teen has killed himself, this time a student at Cashmere High School.  Only after the second suicide did the school district communicate anything to parents.  It did not mention bullying, homosexuality, suicide or anything of the sort.  It simply was a listing of symptoms of grieving to watch out for in children of various ages in response to the two tragic incidences.  The list of resources on the back of the document included all the pastors in the valley, along with suicide prevention hotlines, the school nurse and school counselors.  The only issue listed in the nurse's section of the school website was the plan of how the school district would handle a reported case of H1N1 flu, if one ever happened.

The petition on Change.org has been struggling in it's efforts to gather signatures.  I believe this is primarily a result of lack of public awareness of the existence of the petition, or where to find it.  It may also be suffering from a lack of 'searchability'.  The title of the petition is One Life is ENOUGH, which does not contain the key words of 'suicide', 'Cashmere', 'gay', 'death', 'bullying' or any other words that people might search for when they have a vague understanding that there is a petition out there to sign about this.  I am hoping that your organization possesses the resources to publicize this very important issue and petition.  The focus of the petition is to force the Cashmere School District to pay attention to this issue, and to do more to protect kids and foster a safe environment for all students.  Unless the petition can show that there is actually a sizeable base of support, the school district is under no pressure to do anything different, and kids will continue to be singled out for bullying.  In fact, if the petition does not gather very many signatures, the school district may take that as a stamp of approval of their current practices, and feel they are already doing exactly what the majority of people want.  I'm hoping that your organization can help publicize this very important petition, and mobilize people to gather a huge number of signatures.  It's a tragedy that something wasn't done earlier to prevent these deaths, but it would be a greater tragedy if the remaining kids get the message that nothing will ever change, and that suicide is the only escape.

I sincerely hope that your organization can help.

Heather McRae

---- Here is the Petition:

One life is ENOUGH! Stop Bullying in the Cashmere School District
http://www.change.org/petitions/one-life-is-enough-stop-bullying-in-the-cashmere-school-district

Why This Is Important

The reason for this petition is due to the Cashmere School District failing to follow it's own anti-harassment policies, which led to the bullying and subsequent suicide of a beloved young teen, only because he was openly gay.

It's time for the Cashmere School District to educate its students on the effects of bullying and to reinforce that policy for its staff members, regardless of their own beliefs on the issue of homosexuality. No child should have to feel so helpless and alone that their only measure of action is ending their own life.

No matter how much you disagree with someone, they don't deserve to be physically or emotionally harmed. To say that no staff member or classmate ever saw this student being bullied, would be a figment of any logical mind's imagination. The failure of the Cashmere School District cannot go unanswered.

Rafael Morelos, 14, was punched in the locker rooms, taunted in the classroom, and tormented online. Maybe your child, your grand child, or your younger sibling isn't homosexual, but what's to stop other children from harassing them for being different? The Cashmere School District certainly isn't going to stop them as evidenced by its lack of response and change.

The only effort put forward by the administration was at one time when appropriate action was taken. This is a farse. If appropriate action had been taken, then we wouldn't need to petition the school district, Rafael would still be alive and his family would not be mourning his death.

Although the Cashmere School District is not entirely to blame, as this is a community issue, it is important for the district to reinforce anti-harassments and anti-bullying polices/procedures in staff and students in any positive way.

So please, in an effort for equality, and in an effort to save many more from pain, suffering, and even death, sign this petition.

I will hand deliver these petitions to Superintendent, Glenn Johnson and all other administrators in the Cashmere School District, they already recieve an email, but a show of petition in paper will make a much bigger impression.

I hope anyone reading this, demands change from him and his school district as well!

It takes the voice of many to make a change for the better.

If you wish to learn more about the reasons behind this petition, or if you'd like to reach out to the Cashmere School District and express your concern, the information can be found here:

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/bullying-not-investigated-in-suicide-of-14-year-old-anti-gay-bullying-victim/discrimination/2012/02/06/34196 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/06/rafael-morelos-gay-washington-suicide_n_1258471.html

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/cashmere-community-mourns-after-teen-commits-suici/nHTSw/

http://www.cashmere.wednet.edu/

You can contact Superintendent Glenn Johnson at: gjohnson@cashmere.wednet.edu

And please spread the word!

The Petition Letter:

One life is ENOUGH!

Dear Gov. Gregoire, Sen. Parlette, Rep. Condotta, Rep. Armstrong, Mayor Jeff Gomes, & district staff

In light of the recent suicide of Rafael Morelos in the Cashmere School district, after being bullied for being homosexual, I request that you revamp efforts to educate your students in anti-bullying and anti-harassment . I also request that you revamp your staff's effort to protect the children they teach.

Although you can say that there is no evidence of bullying, many friends have stated otherwise, and there is no way that this young man was happied into killing himself. This young man ended his life because of the conglomeration of years of tormenting, name-calling, and even physical violence.

The fact that either no staff or student saw or reported Rafael's harassment, or that they did and sufficient effort was not put forward by the administration, speaks worlds about your policies and procedures. Put simply, your staff failed to protect him, and your students might as well have been the ones who hanged him under your watchful eye! We as a community will not allow you to fail again.

One life is ENOUGH! Please be the positive change and push your district towards a safer environment for its students, all of its students. Change your policies and procedures in a way that makes them more pertinent for your staff, and makes them stronger and clearer for students.

I suggest more anti-bullying and anti harassment assemblies, and increased teacher presence in students' areas of social interaction. A zero-tolerance bullying policy would be sufficient as well. You can no longer be passive with your policies and procedures, you have to increase your efforts. Rafael would still be alive if the district was a more safe and positive environment.

Encourage a safe and positive environment for students where bullying will not be tolerated. In doing this you can change the Cashmere community for the better.

Know that this issue has been made into a public petition on change.org, and will not disappear unless sufficient effort is put forward by your administration and you.

The petition can be found here: http://www.change.org/petitions/one-life-is-enough

Thank you for your time and effort.

----------------

Sincerely,

[Your name]

The link tor this petition is:
http://www.change.org/petitions/one-life-is-enough

From: Wayne Besen, Executive Director [mailto:wbesen@truthwinsout.ccsend.com] On Behalf Of Wayne Besen, Executive Director
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 10:33 AM
Subject: TWO Outraged That Notorious Hate Band Preached Extremist Message at High School

Band Member Told Students That Gays Die At Age 42, Says TWO
http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/2012/03/23278/

Truth Wins Out expressed outrage today that a fundamentalist rock band known for preaching offensive hate messages was allowed to spew its misinformation at a Dunkerton High School assembly. While on-stage a Junkyard Prophet band member said, Homosexuals died at the age of 42. Bradlee Dean, a Minnesota radio talk show host who had been praised by Rep. Michele Bachmann, leads the rock band.

According to reports, students and teachers at an Iowa high school say they were blindsided when a traveling band slammed them with anti-gay, anti-abortion and other extremist views during what was billed as an assembly about bullying.

We are outraged that students were subjected to such a disgusting, hate-filled message that clearly violated the separation of church and state, said Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen. School administrators have to do their homework to ensure they are aren't booking extremists with sectarian agendas.

In fact, Truth Wins Out's Center Against Radical Extremism warned in April 2010 that Dean boasted to a panel at the Awakening conference in Lynchburg, VA, We've been to 330 schools and only two asked us to leave. Upon hearing this, Vision America's Rick Scarborough cheered Dean and declared, We need more special forces like yourself, and then spoke of the importance in engaging in guerilla warfare.

Superintendent Jim Stanton responded to the community's fury by saying that Junkyard Prophet offered a very strong anti-violence, anti-drug, anti-alcohol message. He added that the presenters shared an opinion about intolerance that's not in line with the beliefs of the Dunkerton Community Schools. We promote tolerance for one another. We will continue to celebrate diversity in our student body.

While Stanton's words are welcome, it is baffling that the band was reportedly allowed to perform and remain on campus for three hours, causing many students to break down in tears. Many in the community are calling on Stanton to resign, while some  reports says he was already considering stepping down. 

We are profoundly disgusted that Junkyard Prophet was allowed to perform, and even more disturbed that school officials did not pull out the hook and yank these fanatics off of the stage, said TWO's Besen. It is crucial that schools understand that religious zealots are actively searching for ways to infiltrate classrooms to indoctrinate youth with extremist messages. It is the responsibility of school administrators to stop the attacks on students as soon as they recognize that they are occurring. In this case, the school badly failed at the expense of the students' mental health.

Dean is also the founder of the Minnesota Christian organization You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has listed as an official hate group. Dean has called LGBT people predators and child molesters and caused a brouhaha when he gave the opening prayer in the Minnesota State House.

LGBT people were not the band's only targets while at the event. Junkyard Prophet attacked Lady Gaga, Elton John, and women.

They told my daughter, the girls, that they were going to have mud on their wedding dresses if they weren't virgins, one mother of a Dunkerton High School junior, told the Lacrosse Tribune. The girls were told to assume a submissive role in their household and remain pure until marriage, students said. The boys said they were shown images of musicians who died of drug overdoses and images of aborted fetuses. The Tribune reported that the school district is working to get back the $1,500 fee they paid Junkyard Prophet for the school event.

Very rarely do such hate organizations stick to attacking one group or minority, added TWO's Communications Director John Becker. They usually have a wide array of targets they dislike and aren't shy about denigrating a number of people.

It appears that the band's assertion that gay men die at age 42 comes from the disgraced researcher Paul Cameron of the Family Research Institute, who was permanently expelled from the American Psychological Association and the Nebraska Psychological Association for peddling falsehoods about LGBT people.

Truth Wins Out is a nonprofit organization that fights anti-LGBT extremism. TWO specializes in turning information into action by organizing, advocating and fighting for LGBT equality.

Please e-mail superintendent Jim Stanton at express your disgust that a hate group was allowed to speak: jstanton@dunkerton.k12.ia.us 

Truth Wins Out | P.O. Box 96 | Burlington | VT | 05402-0096

From: Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition [mailto:joy.wallace@comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2012 12:10 PM
Subject: News on the anti-bullying front: Senate Bill 1555

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Legislative Update on Senate Bill 1555

Dear Friends,

The Oregon School Psychologist's Association (OSPA) led the effort over the past year to amend the Oregon Safe Schools Act, which will require school employees to report acts of harassment, intimidation or bullying and acts of cyber bullying. Last month, Basic Rights Oregon, OSSCC and the Healthy Kids Learn Better Coalition all voiced support for OSPA's bill, Senate Bill 1555. It passed both the Senate and the House unanimously and is awaiting a signature from the Governor. OSPA is a longtime member of our coalition and contributor to the good work that happens in schools around the State. The following are comments OSSCC submitted in support of OSPA's bill.

Sincerely,
Aaron Ridings and Joy Wallace
Co-Chairs, Oregon Safe Schools & Community Coalition
________________________________________________________________________

Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition (OSSCC) is comprised of over 150 members including school districts and community organizations.

OSSCC seeks to create safe schools and communities where every family can belong, every educator can teach, and every child can learn regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

SB 1555 strengthens Oregon's bullying prevention measures, adding components that are necessary for comprehensive school safety, including attention to cyber-bullying and mandatory staff training and incident reporting.

More robust reporting not only helps school leaders better understand their school's climate, but will also highlight the presence of bullying 'hot spots' that would benefit from increased adult presence. Other states have shown that mandatory reporting is easy and efficient to implement and crucial for developing school-wide plans to decrease student harassment.

Perhaps the most important element of SB 1555 is the required integration into existing staff training, with the addition of information about how to intervene in bullying incidents. Research consistently shows bullying can be prevented by educating all staff about how to identify and intervene when they first see bullying and every time thereafter.

Please Support SB 1555! Thank You!

 

To UNSUBSCRIBE or
To SWITCH LISTS (from NEWS to IMPORTANT NEWS or vice versa) or
To CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS, if you are already a subscriber,
GO TO http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/listsub.asp

1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) 24 hours a day - the phone line is answered at the Sexual Assault Hotline and they will have a Safe Schools Coalition Intervention Specialist volunteer get back to you within 24 hours. Or contact us by email (click here: Intervention) http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/contact/?id=10and we will respond within 24 hours.

Questions
Speakers Bureau
Membership
Publications
Listserv
Website

Beth Reis, Public Health - Seattle & King County, 206-296-4970
Michelle Munro, not representing a member org
Mo Lewis, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center
Matthew Wilson, Oasis/Pierce County AIDS Foundation

Heather Carter, Youth Suicide Prevention Program
Frank Couch, Science & Management of Addictions Foundation
Penny Palmer, not representing a member org

Beth Reis for Action Items, Resource messages (books, films, curricula, etc.), Professional Journal messages and Help Needed by Reporters/Authors, Researchers, and Member Organizations
Corey Bernstein and Robyn Walters for News messages
Nik Donia for Event messages
Open position for Jobs, Internships, and Volunteer Opportunity messages
Ryan Schwartz for Right Wing Watch messages
Julie Parmenter for Opinion (blogs, editorials, letters to the editor) messages
Colleen Mullins for Lesson Planning Guide messages
Gabi Clayton for Legislative/Elective messages and Fundraising* messages
    * Note: Fundraising messages are only sent for member organizations.