Students, staff and volunteers throughout the Anchorage School District may soon face stiff punishments for indirectly “disturbing” someone’s claimed sexual orientation.
In a proposed revision, the board introduced changes to its Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying policy at its Aug. 6 meeting. The changes were recommended by a subcommittee and passed on to the board for a final vote.
The current policy seeks to foster a positive school environment by defining harassment, intimidation and bullying, while also imposing punishments on staff, students and volunteers who run afoul of the rules. Disciplinary actions include suspension or expulsion for students, suspension or termination for staff, and denial of opportunities for volunteers.
The current policy makes no mention of sexual orientation, nor does it address “indirect” harassment. Instead, it defines harassment, intimidation and bullying as action that “physically harms” a student, “has the effect of substantially interfering” with education, is “intimidating or threatening,” or substantially disrupts orderly school operations.
The new and vastly expanded proposal, however, defines harassment as “the intentional behavior by a student (or group of students) that is disturbing or threatening to another student. Intentional behaviors that characterize harassment include “unwelcome verbal or written comments,” which are either “direct or indirect” and related, but not limited to, race, religion, sexual orientation, cultural background, economic status, size or personal appearance.
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Other districts across the nation that have instituted such sweeping policies have used them to target conservative and religious minded staff.
While the proposed Anchorage policy includes a disclaimer stating it “should not be interpreted to prohibit a reasoned and civil exchange of opinions or debate that is protected by law and School Board Policy,” the policy opens the door for district officials to clamp down on a wide range of unwanted free speech.
The nonprofit legal group, Alliance Defending Freedom, has represented numerous educators across the nation who have been targeted by similarly worded policies.
“Unfortunately, radical gender ideology and its accompanying pronoun demands aren’t giving people that freedom,” the group’s website warns. “Many corporations and government officials label it offensive, discriminatory, and harmful not to use a person’s ‘preferred pronouns.’ And, in the name of diversity and inclusion, this leads them to fire or ‘cancel’ those who don’t toe the line. Ultimately, activists’ goals are to change the way you think, to punish any dissent, and to render it difficult (if not impossible) to communicate the truth that God created each of us either male or female.”
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censorship in the worst form and intimidation of free speech. Anchorage is an unsafe environment of schooling for children, parents and those working for the school district. Time to boycott and sue the district and persons making this policy. Take the issue to the US Supreme Court.
The above actions by the Anchorage School Board violate the Civil Rights Act that lists one of the protected categories as “people/children of faith” A lawsuit would point this out.
“Children of faith” are protected from bullying by those same rules. Do you think “children of faith” should have free reign to bully other students they have theological disagreements with?
I’m afraid I don’t recall where in the US Constitution there is a specific protection for homosexuals to flaunt their homosexuality, but I do know that the government may not restrict my free exercise of my religion. That doesn’t include bullying, oddly, since we are Christian and we must love the sinner while hating the sin. But it does mean standing up for what is right, and calling a sin a sin. Admonishing the Sinner is onw of the Works of Mercy. Doesn’t mean we have to be nasty about that, but we do need to do so.
So dumpleavy has his attorney general Treg useless trailer doing nothing in leading or contributing to our state!
This has nothing to do with Dunleavy or Trailer or the SOA !! It’s all with in the MOA and Germaine to ASB and it’s school board.
Agreed dumpleavy and trailer lead and influence nothing! Hitch em up to the truck, put ‘em in the trailer, and leave ‘em at the dump!
Do you think children and people of NO FAITH have a right to bully those who do have faith? Sorry my rights don’t end where your feelings begin. Don’t like what I say walk away.
Way too many politics involved where they shouldn’t be. No wonder our poor kids aren’t learning what they need to know to live in this world.
Homosexuality is immoral and a sin. I am not allowed to say that on most sites, and it is even a crime to state this TRUTH in some European countries. Yet a mere 40 years ago 90% of people knew and agreed that homosexuality is immoral and a sin. This is the work of Satan, but good always triumphs over evil and this sick culture will be destroyed.
How do you know it’s immoral and a sin? Just kidding, I know the answer. If you were unshackled by your christian dogma, you’d learn that there is no such thing as sin.
Only Christ is allowed to judge people for their sins, not followers.
I am not seeing George “judging people.” I do see him talking about the sins and immorality that the bible speaks against. Very true that it is not for man to judge another man. It would be wrong for a person who knows God’s Word and God’s commandments to not share these truths.
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In the new proposal, the free exercise of religion and sexual orientation language strongly oppose one another. In practice, kids and teachers would be daily disciplined for using or opposing “pronouns”. Here’s an idea, why don’t we stop honoring pronouns and get back to raising test scores.
I agree that we are concentrating on the wrong things!
The opposite is true… Victim Bullying was was forged into play by Feminists… Which is Communism for women… +++
Early on I freed myself of sin. I became an atheist.
Well , that didn’t go well for those in sodom and Gomorrah.
If only sodom and Gomorrah weren’t fictional places, you know I hear things didn’t work out so well for the planet alderman in Star Wars either.
It’s going great for me. I have the freedom to find evidence and use reason and the scientific method to make decisions.
I am no longer on the committee that recommended this proposal. I welcome suggestions for specific amendments to this proposed policy. Anyone can testify at School Board meetings and I hope those with concerns will do so at the upcoming meeting on August 20th. The more specific the suggested language revisions the more effective the suggestions will be. As always, I am speaking only for myself and not for the ASD or School Board. Dave Donley
This is exactly what’s going on in Great Britain and other European countries at this time. Peoples are being arrested for Facebook posts that “offend” some anonymous reporter of other people. We either have FREE SPEECH or we do not and the exercise of my rights annd my autonomy as a free man are not regulated nor restricted by anyone’s feelings. You don’t like what I have to say, move along or convince me otherwise. Free speech is free speech. And save me the false fire alarm analogy.
It gets worse than that. The head of law enforcement in the UK has stated an intent to extradite and prosecute citizens of other countries whose social media or other public statements support those who are protesting the UK’s immigration policies. Before you say this can’t happen keep in mind the policy that was formed many years ago that allows the UK to spy on US citizens and the US top spy on UK citizens in order to circumvent the legal protections in both countries that protect citizens from being spied on by their respective governments .
Homosexuality is immoral and a sin. It always was and always will be. Grooming children into sexual perversion should be punishable by jail time.