Maine’s WORST Practices in Bullying and Harassment Prevention

Our good friend Linda Harvey of Mission America (please support her wonderful work!) noted in a Dec 2006 e-mail that the State of Maine has published “Maine’s Best Practices in Bullying and Harassment Prevention” which are essentially recommendations for all state school districts. Here are a few excerpts (emphasis ours):

• “Discuss ways of involving students in planning efforts for Bullying Prevention activities such as through a Gay Straight Alliance, Civil Rights Teams, Peer Leadership, etc.” [pages 8-9]

• “Students at risk for bullying include those who ‘don’t fit in’, such as those who are or are perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning, those who differ from the majority of their classmates with regard to race, ethnicity, or religion, those who have differing social or physical abilities, and those who are economically disadvantaged.” [page 10]

• “Have an explicit commitment to social justice and teach, both formally and informally, about the dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression that impact all students. Such a commitment is reflected in an inclusive curriculum that teaches critical thinking, and a school environment that encourages and supports the development of active and effective student groups that reflect this commitment, such as Civil Rights teams and Gay/Straight Alliances.” [page 10, recommended again on page 18]

• “For boys: interventions challenging homophobia and narrow gender roles and the use of ‘gay/lesbian’ as an insult.” [page 35]