Fair Treatment Policy in Schools

Re: “Trustees Aim to Fight Bill,” March 17.

Assembly Bill 101 needs to be supported by the Ventura County school boards. Our public schools should have a “dignity for all students” policy. AB 101 is an anti-discrimination bill. Is there a need for it? Some members of our local public school boards don’t believe themselves to be discriminatory. They just believe that their biases are “right” and therefore have no qualms opposing a law that would ensure the equal treatment of other people’s school children. Unfortunately the truth in that tells us there must be a state law.

Our public representatives have a responsibility to promote the inclusion of all children who abide by the rules of school behavior set forth in our public schools. An employee of a public school should not be allowed to condemn a student who attends that school.

I’m in agreement with the part of the statement made by Conejo Valley Unified School District trustee Elaine McKearn in which she stated, “The kids are in school for an education--reading, writing, math and science.” Students are not in school to be judged on their sexual orientation.

SHANNON ADAMS, Newbury Park

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Regarding your article about AB 101, I didn’t know there was so much ignorance about homosexuality until reading the statements by school officials Elaine McKearn, Mildred Lynch, Janis DiFatta and Dorothy Beaubien and conservative activist Debra J. Lorier.

They have persuaded me that public schools should educate their students about homosexuality particularly in biology, social studies and psychology. The only way to counter intolerance that’s spawned by the ignorance demonstrated by these women is through education.

Lorier wants the right to continue teaching her children that homosexuality is immoral and asks, “Is it my values against the state’s values,” and, “Why are my values wrong now?” State schools teach, they don’t preach.

For example, the age of the universe is taught using the most accepted scientific evidence. If this conflicts with the students’ beliefs, that the universe is 10,000 years old, the school makes no judgment against the student. Believe what you want, but this is what the evidence indicates.

And, yes, Lorier’s values are wrong. They’re wrong because they are based on her religious beliefs and/or pseudoscience that causes her to want to protect her children from free inquiry and would deprive the rest of us the same. The 1st Amendment prohibits that in this country. She is also wrong because her activism brings unwarranted pain and oftentimes violence to gay and lesbian citizens.

BOB STROH, Fillmore