Student faced gay slurs by teachers, state says
The Anoka-Hennepin school district agreed to pay a family $25,000 after two teachers allegedly harassed a boy because of his perceived sexual orientation.

By PAUL LEVY and JANE FRIEDMANN, Star Tribune staff writers

Last update: August 13, 2009 - 5:50 AM

The Anoka-Hennepin School District has agreed to pay a $25,000 settlement to the family of a high school junior after two teachers harassed the boy and subjected him to classroom jokes, comments and innuendos concerning his perceived sexual orientation

The boy's "fence swings both ways," teacher Diane Cleveland commented during a class in the 2007-2008 school year, according to an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

When the boy wrote a report on Ben Franklin, the Human Rights report said.Cleveland allegedly said before the entire class that the boy had a "thing for older men." Another teacher, Walter Filson, said in front of other students that the boy "enjoys wearing women's clothes." When the boy decided to report on Abraham Lincoln, Filson allegedly said, "Since you like your men older ..."

The school district, which has denied it violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act, agreed last month to pay the boy's family $25,000.

Cleveland and Filson have received "outstanding performance" awards from the district in recent years.

Charges of sexual orientation discrimination within school districts, such as this one brought against Minnesota's largest school district by the boy's mother, are extremely rare. Of the 850 to 1,300 charges filed each year between 2003 and 2008 with the Department of Human Rights, only four were based on sexual orientation in the area of education, said Jeff Holman, a spokesperson for the department.

"This should not have happened to this student or to any student," said Ginny Karbowski, director of the school district's Secondary Technical Education Program (STEP), where the boy was enrolled until he transferred to a school 25 miles away to escape harassment. "I was shocked and saddened when I heard these allegations," she said.

The district reacted in January 2008 to the allegations by briefly reassigning Cleveland, 39, a social studies teacher, and placing her on two-day unpaid suspension.

Her reassignment included working on a "social studies curriculum development and reflecting on equality and diversity in the classroom," according to the Department of Human Rights. However, the department said, Cleveland completed only one day of the assignment, calling in sick the remainder of the week. When a new semester started on Jan. 22, 2008, she was back in her classroom, according to the department's report.

It is not known what, if any, disciplinary was taken regarding Filson, 56, a law enforcement teacher.

Report cites other examples

"Would you like to have [another allegedly gay student] go with you so he can sit in the stall next to you and stomp his foot?" Cleveland asked the boy when he asked to go to the restroom, according to the report. She also allegedly said that the boy's "boat floats in a different direction than the rest of the guys in the class."

When a student in Filson's class talked about a deer that had been molested, the student said, according to the Human Rights report, "Hey, Mr. Filson, doesn't that sound like something [the student perceived to be gay] would do?" Filson allegedly agreed and laughed.

Cleveland and Filson remain teachers in the district, Anoka-Hennepin Superintendent Dennis Carlson said. Carlson, who was not superintendent during the time of the allegations, called it "an isolated incident" and said the teachers should be judged by their entire work history.

"I'm extremely disappointed from any aspect you can think of," Carlson said. "These are places of learning, not places where we tolerate harassment, certainly not from our paid staff."

He said he is comfortable with disciplinary action taken. A district sexual orientation curriculum for staff and students began in February, Karbowski said. Anti-bullying policies have long been a focus in the district, said district spokesperson Mary Olson.

those teachers just assholes. you're dealing with children! teachers should own up to the responsibility they have. high school's tough enough without the adults making fun of people, other students would do that anyway and now they see a role model doing it too and will think it's ok but that's completely unexceptable coming from a teacher. you couldn't make fun of your student's weight or skin colour so why their mannerisms and perceived homosexuality?

I had some teachers like that, makes me fuckin' sick
[Edited 8/15/09 14:16pm]

What douchebags.

johnart said:

This really should be fought by the child's parents. This a violation of civil rights.

It's reasons like that which made my high school experience a weird one. I was afraid to come out. On top of that, I went to an all girl Catholic high school. Long story short, I ended up looking down and away a lot until I could be myself around my friends. And even then, I kept a guard on my personality in case there were any Myna birds willing to repeat what I've said or done.

I have to say I'm pretty damned angry at this entire situation. And of course the teachers get off. And the superintendent has very little to say as well in the line of defense. The things they have all said reek of people who are still judging this young person with their line of morals because they cannot accept who he is. We should expect a certain air of respect from people but they're sadly only human and tend to fail us time and time again. I'd love to get in their faces and ask them a few heated questions...

heybaby said:

If I was the kid's parent I would've had every damn tv station/newspaper descend on those teachers' homes so fast!
The only thing I can think is maybe they don't want to make their child get unwanted publicity as he's having a hard enough time already.

I'd like to kick 'em both in the twats (yeah, the dude too ), pickin on a child like that.

I read this as 'student-faced gay'

Fauxie said:

me too

Lawd, I'm only in this thread cause you posted. ~backing away slowly~ and my apologies to all.

Personally I don't see the crime. There is such a thing as Free speech, and that boy is just gonna learn to not be so sensitive if they choose an alternative lifestyle because he's gonna get a lot of that throughout his lifetime.

"Would you like to have [another allegedly gay student] go with you so he can sit in the stall next to you and stomp his foot?" Cleveland asked the boy when he asked to go to the restroom"

LAWD

this is whole thing is messy n fukked up

matthewgrant said:

Ditto - all of it.

I'm sure every gay/bi/lesbian Orger reading this will have their own school days horror stories... and knowing that it was the TEACHERS - not the students even! - doing this... it disgusts me.

And, yeah, I hate to add to the stereoptype(s) but I remember a few PE/Games teachers being the worst offenders for this type of behaviour. Or... making suggestive comments, is another way of putting it.

He really should be removed from teaching period.

onenitealone said:

I think the worst was when I was trying to tell the vice principal about the comments I was getting and it all came down to "well are you?"

She missed the fucking point, I wasn't even having sex yet but I had to bare the prejudice

Cinnie said:

I am so sorry you had to go through that shit.