Anoka-Hennepin, Minnesota School District, Under Federal Investigation For Alleged Civil Rights Violation

Federal officials are investigating allegations of harassment and bullying in Anoka-Hennepin Schools, Minnesota's largest school district, CNN reports.

The investigation, led by the Justice Department and the Department of Education's Office of Civil Right, examines allegations of civil rights laws violations and complaints that there have been cases of discrimination and bullying "based on not conforming to gender stereotypes," according to CNN.

The Anoka-Hennepin district has a controversial policy on teaching or discussing sexual orientation in the classroom. The policy states that it's not a part of the official curriculum and should be discussed outside the classroom. District employees "shall remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientation including but not limited to student led discussions." The policy was adopted in 2009 after two teachers were accused of harassing a student they thought was gay.

Over the last two years, seven district students have committed suicide, three of whom were gay and reportedly acted as a result of being bullied, according The Minnesota Independent.

Since then, students and community members have rallied and petitioned to reform the district's neutral policy regarding sexual orientation. The Star Tribune reports that one petition bearing 12,000 signatures has made its way to the district board of education. The effort was led by a former student from the district who is gay and the mother of Justin Anderson, who committed suicide at the age of 15 last year after being bullied for being gay, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights threatened to file suit against the district in May, arguing that Anoka-Hennepin is in violation of federal law for not fostering a safe educational environment for students. The SPLC called the district's policy a "gag rule," The Minnesota Independent reported.

Responses from advocates of the policy assert that the SPLC and NCLR misinterpreted the rules, and that the policy is in line with the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

It is currently unclear whether the federal investigation will delve into the district's neutrality policy or the suicides, CNN reports. Anoka-Hennepin Superintendent Dennis Carlson also told CNN that the district does not plan to revise its policy on sexual orientation curriculum.

The investigation and spotlight on Anoka-Hennepin's sexual orientation curriculum policy comes amid news from California, where Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill last week that officially added lessons about gay and lesbians to the public school social studies curriculum.

Comments

[DrJillianTWeiss]

11:29 AM on 08/09/2011

Now the District put up a website on "GLBT Issues," but you have have to translate it first: http://bit.ly/oVJnib

[levdifference]

07:50 PM on 07/25/2011

This so-called “neutrality policy” is as dangerous, flawed, and immoral as “don’t ask, don’t tell” was, or as “separate but equal” was regarding race. Proponents of this policy probably fall into two camps. One camp consists of those who forcefully deny rights to people who are not heterosexual. These people may oppose gay marriage and may see anyone who is not heterosexual as morally deficient. A second, probably larger, camp of people interests me more. They are not anti-gay necessarily, but they are likely conflicted and want to be able to reflect on and sort out their beliefs and opinions about sexual orientation. They are more “moderate” in their positions.

In Minnesota, things are not OK as they are. Children there (and in many other places in this country) are dying due in part to the aggressive actions by their peers. When young people are being bullied, harassed, terrorized, and driven to suicide, it is immoral to hide behind words like “deliberate” and “thoughtful.” Being “moderate” and “cautious” are simply ways of avoiding taking responsibility to change what you know to be wrong.

When discrimination and intimidation are the norm, calling for neutrality just means people get to keep on discriminating and intimidating. You can’t only go half-way if half-way fails to protect a person’s dignity and human rights. This is not negotiable.

[Midlife45]

11:09 PM on 07/24/2011

its not promoting that is the problem / its people biting at the heels of others from any direction 35 years ago parents tried to teach there kids to stand tall. Most caught on. It worked. I remember a girl calling another girl on the basketball team stud woman. They were not harassing each other, they liked it and I think later both came out as gay. They picked on guys not as manly as they were. On the other hand I remember other kids who bullied the most often had family issues and later grew up miserable themselves or dead already. At some point everyone has to stand tall alone, move ahead, get in or get out, or get run down because we all might anyway at anytime.

[TheTruthWins]

10:29 AM on 07/21/2011

The gays are trying hard lto legislate their lifestyle as normal....if any teacher or school district tries to teach my child that being gay is normal.....I'll pull them out of school and home school them. I know they'd receive a much better education anyway.

[MNKen]

11:22 AM on 07/21/2011

With that attitude, your child will probably grow up to be one of the bullies anyway. Please go ahead and home-school your child. Teachers, parents and other students will appreciate not having to be around your kid.

[Kris Aho]

01:02 PM on 07/21/2011

Omg - THANK YOU! I cannot even respond to such ignorance!

[TheTruthWins]

05:47 PM on 07/21/2011

So...because I want my children to get an education in the basics...ie: reading, writing, arithmetic, government and history....I have to allow my child to be taught being gay is normal too? Or be taught some leftist teachers world view? No...I do not want my children indoctinated. BTW I harbor no hatred toward gays and bulling anyone is wrong....I just don't believe their lifstyle is normal and should not be taught to my children as being such.

[TBJ]

11:44 AM on 07/21/2011

"The blacks are trying hard lto legislate themselves as normal....­if any teacher or school district tries to teach my child that being black is okay....­.I'll pull them out of school and home school them. I know they'd receive a much better education anyway. "

See what I did there?

[kaleyrd1]

03:31 PM on 07/21/2011

OOOO I see what ya did there!
No lifestyle should be labeled as normal. It should be what makes the individual happy. These things need to be talked about because we are all humans and we should help and support each other. It is the UNITED states of america not the If youre not straight we are going to lynch you states of america. People who promote hate only fuel more hate. How can anyone, including those who promote hate be happy?

[TheTruthWins]

05:39 PM on 07/21/2011

Being black is not a lifestyle....being gay is......apples and oranges.

[changing]

10:28 AM on 07/21/2011

Well is is interesting they investigate this while the DOE is pushing separate and unequal education. Also, Arne made a gay school in Chicago which got mixed results.

[bealebkk]

06:55 AM on 07/21/2011

"Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that."
...George Carlin

[Gail Cerridwen]

06:51 AM on 07/21/2011

Why is my previous post not shown? Again, I taught in this district and can attest that it has MUCH history of GLBT intolerance. If this one shows up, maybe I'll add more?

[Gail Cerridwen]

06:45 AM on 07/21/2011

This makes me deliriously happy! Ecstatic! I used to teach in this district and--along with many other teachers--had to put up with some pretty off the wall sh*t! YES, many of us could testify on GLBT, racial, and religious (Muslim only) intolerance! I kept waiting for an ACLU case, once c contacted them regarding an incident but they needed someone to come forward and I wasn't tenured, had kids to support...

[TheTruthWins]

10:37 AM on 07/21/2011

I see...so now you can't be fired for teaching your political or social views or for being a lousy teacher. Teaching children reading, writing and arithmetic is not enough for you libby teachers is it...you are compelled to indoctrinate them on all kinds of twisted subjects. And, with tenure and a corrupt union you can't be fired for doing so. This country needs to abolish public sector unions and hire real teachers.

[kaleyrd1]

03:34 PM on 07/21/2011

Because teaching hate or to not stand up for your rights is so much better? Teachers arent trying to push their views. They are allowd to say what they are but not push them. This whole issue is about protecting all students. Teachers are meant to educate about the world around them.
If we had your idea of a real teacher we would all be fueling hate and discrimination. I bet youre a racist too? Remember this all happened not too long ago? Or do you conservatives like to forget when you tried to destroy the country?
I wear my Liberal badge proud!

[Gail Cerridwen]

04:44 AM on 07/22/2011

I understand those are popular talking points from Limbaugh and O'Reilly (I've heard them more times than I can count ... and that's past ten). Here's a tiny bit of what you're not seeing/considering/comprehending--forty students to a classroom, many w/ problems of homelessness, hunger, home abuse of various kinds, addictions, pregnancies, undiagnosed and untreated learning disabilities and mental illness, and on and on ... That's called The Real World. Visit it sometime.

[mick belker]

04:00 AM on 07/21/2011

Anoka-Hennepin is primarily in Michell Bachmann's district; this should explain a great deal about why this is happening.

[Yorksgal]

12:49 AM on 07/21/2011

Can we just divide America into the compassionate and the ignoramuses? We can send the latter to Texas and we will initiate secession.

[B American]

10:34 PM on 07/20/2011

This article failed to note that the district's policy allows teachers to discuss sexual orientation in the classroom provided it's fact-based, age appropriate and connected to the curriculum. Read the policy for yourself: http://www.anoka.k12.mn.us/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=223568&fileitem=48585&catfilter=15049.

[r henry]

02:51 PM on 07/22/2011

This article didn't fail to mention that at all. I read it up there.

[TeraWatt60]

09:55 PM on 07/20/2011

I hope the tro//s who think that there is "no reason" to protect gay students from big.otry and harassment are satisfied... How many more kids do you have to kill or drive out of school before you admit you are simply wrong. Or worse, in the darkness of your narrow minds think somehow the gay student is wrong for being themselves....

[Try the truth]

09:12 AM on 07/21/2011

They are the same folks that believe God created everything  which means H/she created gay folks which means their faith based reasoning is  a non argument! If God created us all,some people are meant to be gay by the creators design!

[lhanderson86]

09:46 PM on 07/20/2011

" after two teachers were accused of harassing a student they thought was gay."

Those are some great teachers, adults, and human beings right there. Nice to see people so compassionate and supportive. (sarcasm!!!)