A second full-page ad ran today:

D H S
WHAT’S GOING ON IN
FRESHMAN ADVISORY?
PART 2.

As more students and parents come forward with their experiences
relating to the gay students’ panel presentations, the poor judgment and
abuse of authority by school officials becomes even more astonishing.

• CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT
Freshman students (14 year olds) were asked to sign a CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT promising not to share what has transpired in the classroom. Presumably, this would include parents. This is unenforceable, probably illegal, and certainly poor judgment. [A portion of the confidentiality agreement was inserted — you can read the entire document HERE.]

• HIDING MATERIALS

1. A parent, a teacher and NSSA have all requested to see the pool of instructional materials offered to Freshman Advisory teachers. The requests were DENIED and, in fact, the materials are hidden behind a password-protected portal. Can you imagine any other class where materials are hidden from parents?
2. F.O.I.A. — NSSA filed a Freedom of Information Act request for complete instructional materials which was DENIED. Illinois State School Code, 105 ILCS 5/28-19.1 says: “Any member of the public may inspect all text and instructional material used in the public schools.”

• VIDEO TAPE
When a parent of a Freshman requested to observe the gay panel presentations, she was DENIED. A video of the class was offered but now that the panels have concluded, suddenly, there is no video available. What are they hiding?

• PROFESSIONAL PANEL
DHS students requested another panel presentation, this time including medical professionals — instead of teenagers — who could speak to the complex health issues surrounding homosexuality. DENIED.

• DANGEROUS ASSUMPTIONS
Students have revealed that during the gay panel presentations, a link is made to normal teenage struggles and homosexuality. For instance, gay students shared that they struggled with a number of emotional disorders but the real problem and solution was found when they realized they were homosexual. The teachers evidently allowed this dangerous assumption so that the students in the class inevitably wondered if their normal teenage problems could mean that they are gay. Students were encouraged to explore this possibility without mention of the obvious health and emotional risks.

If these issues concern you, please contact:
District 113 School Board — (224) 765-1000

Helene Herbstman HEHCUBS@aol.com — Ken Fishbain ken_fishbain@ghr.org
Jeffrey Annenberg jeff@monteropartners.com — Harvey Cohen HCohen4940@aol.com
Joel Hurwitz hurwitz4@aol.com — Marjie Sandlow Msandlow@aol.com
Bonnie Shlensky DBLBadger@aol.com — Supt. George Fornero gfornero@dist113.org

NORTH SHORE STUDENT ADVOCACY
NSSAdvocacy@aol.com

Please read — We need your help!

“Day of Silence” is an annual event promoted by Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and is scheduled for April 18 this year. (Some schools observe “Day of Silence” on a different date, a few days or a week before or after the official date.)

Last year over 4,000 schools and 500,000 students participated, allowing junior high and high school students who identify as homosexual, bisexual, or “transgender” (or as an “ally”) to remain silent through the day (including in class) as a protest against alleged injustices toward “GLBT” students.

Americans for Truth, Mission America, and other pro-family groups are working together to compile a list of schools that plan to allow “Day of Silence” (including the date of the planned observance).

TAKE ACTION — Please call your local junior high and high school and ask:

• Do you have a Gay-Straight Alliance?
• Will any students participate in GLSEN’s “Day of Silence”?
• If so, will it take place on April 18 or on another date?

Please contact us with what you learn — we’ll need the name of the school, city and state, and the answers to the three questions above.

Excerpted from School Disciplines Students for Using the Term ‘Gay’, by Allie Martin and Jody Brown, published Mar 20, 2007, by One News Now:

…Last month, administrators at Gibson Elementary in Fresno informed parents that students would be disciplined for using the word “gay” in a negative fashion. A fourth-grader at the school has already been suspended for saying “that’s gay” during a soccer game — a phrase school administrators claim constitutes “sexual harassment” — and another student was sent to the principal for a similar infraction.

Continue reading at One News Now…

Excerpted from The Wide Spectrum Of Sex-Ed Courses, by Daniel de Vise, published Mar 18, 2007, by Washington Post:

In Seattle public schools, sexual orientation is taught in ninth-grade health class, a one-day session that uses vignettes about fictitious teens to illustrate same-sex and opposite-sex attraction. But the topic can arise as early as grade 5, in discussions on the many changes that accompany puberty…

“This is probably the last big issue around sexuality education,” said Martha Kempner, spokeswoman for the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) in New York, a group that advocates comprehensive sex education. “And I think we are seeing that many of the controversies today revolve in some way around sexual orientation.”

…Homosexuality is one of many topics covered under the umbrella of “comprehensive” sex education, which teaches students how to be comfortable with their sexuality and safe in sexual practice.

Seattle teachers tell ninth-grade health classes, “There are probably some people here who are gay, lesbian and bisexual… Some people here may believe that homosexual behavior is wrong.” Students take a sexual-orientation quiz: When do people first realize they are gay? (Answer: usually by their teens.) If one of your parents is gay or lesbian, are the chances greater that you will be, too? (Answer: no.)…

Chiasson said “countless” schools and school systems include homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality in their curricula. Although few mainstream textbooks devote space to the topic, she said in an e-mail, “good teachers utilize supplemental materials to complement textbooks’ limitations.”

[Note from AFTAH: Pay close attention to this author’s conclusion which reveals the attitude toward tax-paying parents who don’t want their children exposed to homosexuality in public school:]

Many states, including Virginia and Maryland, explicitly permit parents to opt out if they don’t like the lessons. Or, they can simply withdraw from the school.

Continue reading in Washington Post…

Highland Park High School is in District 113, as is Deerfield High School whose “Freshman Advisory” class has recently been the subject of much controversy. We commend the administrators at HPHS for this decision. Perhaps HPHS teachers and parents can explain to Mr. Hurwitz why standards for what is taught in Illinois public school classrooms ought not be equivalent to those of what might be seen on Saturday Night Live.

——————————

Excerpted from School Disinvites Comedy Troupe, by Lisa Black, published Mar 19, 2007, by Chicago Tribune:

Highland Park High School officials who fear that a sketch comedy troupe’s material is not appropriate for students have rescinded an invitation for the group to perform during a three-day arts festival in April…

The chairwoman of Highland Park’s Fine Arts Department “was concerned at the point she received a description of their presentation,” said Suzan Hebson, assistant superintendent for human resources. She said the discussions occurred at least a month before the Deerfield controversy erupted.

“I understand they had concerns recognizing this is an educational classroom environment and not a nightclub entertainment sort of function,” Hebson said.

Last week, DeGrazia shared some sketches with administrators, agreeing to cancel a skit that was deemed offensive. The skit portrayed a militaristic high school drum major who is gay but overly defensive in insisting he’s not gay, while none of the other band members care.

Comic Thread performed at the 2005 Focus event, and school officials objected to a skit called “Great Moments in Amish Pornography.” The theme song from “2001: A Space Odyssey” blared as an Amish woman revealed her ankles and an Amish man lowered his suspender straps, DeGrazia said...

Two years ago, school board member Joel Hurwitz took issue with administrators sharing complaints about Comic Thread with the group.

“The material is not new to our students or beyond their maturity level,” wrote Hurwitz, a lawyer, who could not be reached Friday for further comment. “Our Fine Arts Department has not achieved excellence by censoring performances to satisfy the sensitivities of fringe elements within our community who are uncomfortable with mainstream culture.”

Continue reading in Chicago Tribune…

By Peter LaBarbera

More homosexual activist lies: On Saturday on MSNBC, I debated Jason Cianciotto of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. Cianciotto repeated the company line that groups like Americans For Truth contribute to “harassment and violence” against homosexual youth:

Watch the MSNBC segment HERE

Cianciotto alleged that:

“…Organizations like Mr. LaBarbera’s only contribute to this harassment and violence by pitting students against each other and that’s a tragedy. It’s also gravely immoral.”

We were debating the controversy over a pro-homosexual “Freshman Advisory” class at Deerfield High School in Illinois. Deerfield’s principal has now apologized for requiring students who attended the freshman class to sign a “confidentiality agreement” stipulating that they would not discuss what transpired in the class. (Congrats to my friend, parent Lora Sue Hauser for exposing the liberal shenanigans at Deerfield High.)

On MSNBC, taken aback by Jason’s reckless accusation, I said it was a “terrible thing to say.” Homosexual activists routinely conflate disagreement over their destructive lifestyle with violence and hate against homosexuals. It’s a dirty tactic, and totally irrelevant to the Deerfield story, which is about parents having the full right to know exactly what is being taught about homosexuality in their child’s classroom.

MSNBC aired a debate on Sat, Mar 10, 2007, between Matt Foreman of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (Task Force) and Peter Sprigg, Vice President for Policy at Family Research Council (FRC) — and the topic was Deerfield High School’s “Freshman Advisory” which includes presentations by students who identify as homosexual, bisexual, or “transgendered.”

Watch the MSNBC debate HERE.

Matt Foreman suggested the “gay” panel was simply part of broader program that includes blacks, Latinos, etc. (We’re not sure how he knows that since District 113 officials have refused to release the curriculum to local parents.) He claimed that “gay” students are disproportionately the victim of bullying & violence.

Peter Sprigg said that FRC would prefer that the school do away with whole program, in part because they’re presenting only one side (which is viewpoint discrimination) which may encourage kids to prematurely label themselves as homosexual or bisexual. He pointed to studies that demonstrate younger kids are often unsure/confused but later heterosexual.

Matt Foreman asserted that only a small minority of parents object and claimed that opponents are spreading “lies & myths” about the panel — “this is part of gay agenda,” homosexual students are recruiting, etc.

Peter Sprigg suggested that anyone interested in learning about the homosexual agenda might go to www.frc.org.

Matt Foreman said to Peter Sprigg: “Your propaganda creates bullying and violence against gays — Why are you so obsessed with gays?”

Peter Sprigg said, and we agree: “We believe all kids should be protected against bullying & violence.” He went on to say that most bullying occurs because of appearance & body size and asked “Are we going to have a panel of obese students telling kids it’s good to be overweight?”

From Illinois Family Institute, where Lora Sue Hauser serves as School Issues Advisor:

Click HERE to read the confidentiality agreement
that Deerfield High School freshmen were asked to sign prior to being confronted with
a panel of students who identify as homosexual, bisexual, and “transgendered.”

WARNING: The pdf includes…

• The confidentiality agreement (2 pages), plus
• “Terminology Game Cards” used in Deerfield’s Freshman Advisory,”
• Excerpts from Alex Sanchez’s book Rainbow Boys which is replete with vulgar language and sexual content (Alex Sanchez was invited to speak at DHS in 2005),
• A list of “gay” bars linked (via the GLBT National Health Center) on Alex Sanchez’s website (which he promoted to students), and
• Objectionable excerpts from The Heidi Chronicles, which was perfomed for freshmen — without parental notice or consent — at DHS in 2001.