Outright Vermont combats bullying Emphasis on sexual orientation prompts parental concerns

Author: Katherine Doorley

Outright Vermont, an organization dedicated to promoting tolerance and support for all sexual orientations, will present an anti-bullying program at the Williston Central School after the school board unanimously voted to allow the program to take place. A few weeks earlier, the principal of the school, in conjunction with school board members, had decided to postpone the event due to complaints from several parents about the nature of the program for students.

The anti-bullying presentation by Outright Vermont is part of a program instituted by the Williston School District to address issues of bullying in schools as part of the Safe and Supportive Schools program. Outright Vermont was asked to participate in part due to its goal of "fostering sensitivity and understanding of the issues facing gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth." Outright Vermont has developed a program entitled "That's so gay: Addressing Anti-Gay Bullying in Schools," which is designed to help students understand how they fit into the cycle of bullying and what actions can be taken to stop it. Of the reported incidents of bullying at Williston Central School last year, 49 percent were based on sexual orientation, which was an additional motivating factor for the program. However, the group's presence, as well as the presence of a gay teenager, raised concerns from parents about what the program was attempting to teach its children.

The Williston School Board held a widely-attended open meeting on Monday, April 4, in order to discuss the cancellation of the program. At the meeting, two different proposals were presented: Either the program would take place as originally scheduled, but with the option to have parents sign their children out of the program, or else Outright Vermont would present a program to children whose parents gave them written permission. The entire school would then attend a presentation from guidance counselors and local high school students who had witnessed bullying. Outright Vermont Director Kate Jerman stated that she was not certain Outright Vermont would have been willing to participate in the latter version of the program.

After a four-hour meeting at which over 50 different people, ranging from students to administrators, spoke, the board decided unanimously to keep the program as originally proposed. While some parents are undoubtedly upset about the outcome, the board's decision represents as close to a middle ground as they could come without fundamentally altering the nature of Outright Vermont's presentation and message. For now, the program will be presented, although the conflict over the content of the presentation and the presence of an openly gay high school student in the middle school only serves to accentuate the continued tension over the issue of gay rights in Vermont.