The ACLU reports that the Morgan Hill Unified School District ( 70 miles south of San Francisco ) , where LGBT students have suffered years of harassment and discrimination, including physical violence, has agreed to a wide-ranging staff and student training program and policy protections. The settlement ends a five-year-long federal lawsuit brought by the ACLU and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
'I am so happy that the district has finally recognized the seriousness of this problem and is ready to do something to stop it,' said Alana Flores, one of the plaintiffs in the case. She added, "The kind of abuse I had to deal with every day when I went to school was horrible. No student should have to face that. Making schools safe for all students through this kind of training is something every school should do.'
As part of the settlement, all administrators, teachers, campus monitors, custodians, school safety officers, and bus drivers in the district will take part in a mandatory annual training devoted exclusively to issues of harassment and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
'The bravery of these students in speaking out about the horrific abuse they faced on a daily basis at school will reach far beyond Morgan Hill,' said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. 'Because these six kids came forward, schools now know they can't just ignore abuse of gay students when it's happening in their hallways. This program isn't just the right thing to doit's what schools have to do if they want to keep their students safe."
The students, five girls and one boy, were repeatedly mistreated both physically and verbally. One student, Freddie Fuentes, had to go to the hospital after a group of male students beat and kicked him while shouting 'faggot' at a school bus stop in full view of the bus driver. Another student, Alana Flores, found a pornographic picture taped to her locker. A handwritten note attached to it read, 'Die, Die ... Dyke bitch, Fuck off. We'll kill you.' When Flores asked for help, the assistant principal brushed her off and told her to go back to class, saying, 'Don't bring me this trash anymore. This is disgusting.'
The case, Flores v. Morgan Hill Unified School District, had earlier been appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals by the school district. The court issued a historic ruling holding that schools must take steps to eliminate harassment when they learn that LGB students are abused at school.