Board Votes to Change Discrimination Policies
Charlottesville Daily Progress,
August 4, 2000
Box 9030, Charlottesville, VA 22906
Fax 804-978-7252
By Eric Swensen, Daily Progress staff writer
The Charlottesville School Board voted 4-1 on Thursday to approve two motions that add
a section to its non-discrimination policies and student code of conduct that bans
discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Olivia Boykin was the lone board member to vote against both motions. The first motion
modified the two non-discrimination policies, and the second motion changed the code of
conduct. Board chairman Stephen Campbell and vice-chairman Richard Merriwether were absent
from the meeting.
Thursday’s vote means that two policies have been amended to prohibit
discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Discrimination based on sexual orientation will be banned "in any aspect of school
division employment" as well as in the provision of educational programs and services
to students.
Language prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation was also added to the
nondiscrimination clause of the student code of conduct.
Originally raised and rejected by the School Board in 1998 despite widespread community
support, the idea of adding sexual orientation to the non-discrimination policies was
revived by Merriwether at the board’s July 6 meeting.
When the board passed the policy changes on first reading at its July 20 meeting,
everyone who spoke during the public comment session spoke in favor of the proposal.
That was not the case at Thursday’s meeting, where a number of speakers announced
their opposition to the policy change.
"If you pass this motion, what you’ll be doing is endorsing and encouraging
homosexuality," said Geoffrey Shaw.
"God loves homosexuals — he loves everyone. But God hates
homosexuality."
Jay Delancey said the policy changes would create a legal quagmire for the school
division. After the state of Wisconsin passed a similar ordinance, he said, 100 complaints
were filed in the first year. He also cited a study that said homosexual teachers were 90
to 100 times more likely to become sexually involved with a child.
Anita Simpkins said that homosexuals could be protected by a
general ban on harassment already contained in the School Board’s policies. She added
that sodomy is a class six felony under Virginia law.
"I’m not sure it’s in our best interest to have pedophiles teaching our
children," she said.
However, the majority of the speakers again voiced their support for the measure.
Brian Malone said that most scientific evidence actually shows that heterosexual men
are most likely to molest children, and added that heterosexual people are almost as
likely to commit sodomy.
"If the object is to keep people who have committed sodomy out of the classroom,
we’re going to have a hard time finding teachers," he said.
Margaret McFadden said she didn’t believe the policy meant that the board supports
homosexuality.
"What you are saying is that you don’t support discrimination in any
form," she said.
Just before the vote, board member John Santoski spoke of the harassment suffered by
his brother, a homosexual who died of AIDS 10 years ago.
"I’d rather not have anyone else go through that [harassment]," he said.
After the meeting, Boykin said she believed the policy change would have the effect of
imposing the homosexual lifestyle on others, and questioned how much effect the policy
would have.
"This is not going to eliminate them from being called whatever they’ll be
called," she said.
She added that she would be quick to defend homosexuals under the more generalized
policy banning harassment currently in place.
"I’d be the first one to protect them [under the current law]," she
said.
In other action . . .
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