Broward School Board Resolution
PRESIDENT OF FLORIDA GLBT DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS REACTS TO BROWARD COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD ACTION
Fort Lauderdale, FL – July 26, 2005
At a Broward County School Board meeting on July 26, a resolution (4001.1) was passed that stated any behavior against a person or group of persons because of race, creed, color or sexual orientation was “unacceptable.” This resolution was in reaction to the public outcry over the Diversity Committee of the Broward School Board removing a video from Elementary Schools called “We Are Family,” a video with the Muppets that speaks for tolerance of people who might be different from yourself.
The following are comments from Michael Albetta, President of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus, and former President of the Dolphin Democrats, the Broward County GLBT organization:
- The School Board should be commended for taking this public stand in response to the outcry over their Diversity Committee taking such an anti-diversity action. But this resolution is just the first baby step of what must be done.
- If I were to give the School Board a Report Card at this point, I would say “shows promise but much work needs to be done for a passing grade. The so-called Diversity Committee has clearly demonstrated they do not play well with others.”
- What needs to be done is restructuring of the Diversity Committee to ensure that it can function away from radical political agendas and help the School Board build programs that will allow our students to productively function in a diverse city and county, and later in a diverse workforce and world.
- What no citizen should tolerate is a School Board Diversity Committee that has dominant forces on it that are openly anti-diversity and anti-tolerant. If that is not subversive behavior to Democracy and our educational process, then what is?
- If a simple video featuring the Muppets, that merely takes a generalized stand for the democratic value of tolerance, is considered too controversial, then what next? Will the Declaration of Independence be also removed from our classrooms, because after all, it goes much further than this video when it declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” First the Muppets are too much, and then the Founding Fathers?
If your news media would like to further interview Mr. Michael Albetta, he can be reached by calling 954 - 560-8649.
Fort Lauderdale, FL – July 26, 2005
At a Broward County School Board meeting on July 26, a resolution (4001.1) was passed that stated any behavior against a person or group of persons because of race, creed, color or sexual orientation was “unacceptable.” This resolution was in reaction to the public outcry over the Diversity Committee of the Broward School Board removing a video from Elementary Schools called “We Are Family,” a video with the Muppets that speaks for tolerance of people who might be different from yourself.
The following are comments from Michael Albetta, President of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus, and former President of the Dolphin Democrats, the Broward County GLBT organization:
- The School Board should be commended for taking this public stand in response to the outcry over their Diversity Committee taking such an anti-diversity action. But this resolution is just the first baby step of what must be done.
- If I were to give the School Board a Report Card at this point, I would say “shows promise but much work needs to be done for a passing grade. The so-called Diversity Committee has clearly demonstrated they do not play well with others.”
- What needs to be done is restructuring of the Diversity Committee to ensure that it can function away from radical political agendas and help the School Board build programs that will allow our students to productively function in a diverse city and county, and later in a diverse workforce and world.
- What no citizen should tolerate is a School Board Diversity Committee that has dominant forces on it that are openly anti-diversity and anti-tolerant. If that is not subversive behavior to Democracy and our educational process, then what is?
- If a simple video featuring the Muppets, that merely takes a generalized stand for the democratic value of tolerance, is considered too controversial, then what next? Will the Declaration of Independence be also removed from our classrooms, because after all, it goes much further than this video when it declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” First the Muppets are too much, and then the Founding Fathers?
If your news media would like to further interview Mr. Michael Albetta, he can be reached by calling 954 - 560-8649.
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