August 2002 – Promoting the “gay” agenda in the public school system may earn school officials some points with the politically correct crowd, but it may also land that school in legal hot water, says one pro-family group.

In June, Citizens for Community Values (CCV), a statewide family values organization in Ohio, launched an aggressive effort to warn public schools in that state that they face legal liability for putting children’s health at risk if school officials allow the promotion of homosexual behavior on campus.

As part of that campaign, CCV is providing school officials with studies showing a dramatically higher incidence of life-threatening disease, mental illness, substance abuse, and premature death – all as a direct consequence of homosexual behavior. Copies of applicable Ohio state laws were also included in the report mailed to every school superintendent and school board president throughout the state.

“Homosexual activist organizations such as the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) claim that their influence in public schools is necessary to insure the ‘safety’ of students who engage in homosexual behavior,” said CCV Vice President David Miller. “Medical studies indicate, however, that the greatest threat to such students comes from the health consequences of such high-risk behavior.”

Miller also said that “the constitutional rights of other students are being restricted by so-called ‘anti-harassment’ and ‘non-discrimination’ policies forced upon schools by the scare tactics of GLSEN and similar groups.”

Titled “The Legal Liability Associated with Homosexuality Education in Public Schools,” the 12-page report also warns schools against trying to act as mental health professionals.

“Schools and the teachers within them are generally unequipped to be mental health professionals,” he said. “Most schools, therefore, have no business trying to assess whether or not some student is ‘gay’ or lesbian, nor should they encourage a student to embrace that sexual orientation if he may be confused about his feelings and think he’s a homosexual.”

Miller said the lack of teacher qualifications for such endeavors sometimes leads schools to lean too heavily on outside groups – most of whom are unquestioningly sympathetic to the homosexual movement. This might put the school in violation of state laws aimed at protecting children from adults who could corrupt their health or morals.

“Referring a confused or troubled student to a local homosexual organization, simply because school officials expect that organization to be able to handle the child’s problems, could be construed as negligence should something go wrong,” Miller said. “And taxpayers won’t be happy to foot the bill when the school district is taken to court.”

Miller said things could certainly go wrong. “If a confused kid is sent by a guidance counselor or teacher to a ‘gay’ advocacy group off campus, and then that student decides he or she is a homosexual and begins having sex and gets AIDS, the school could be sued for negligence – especially after receiving this report and reading about the high risks associated with this lifestyle,” he said. “This is dangerous, uncharted territory for school systems.”

Miller said he hoped CCV’s novel approach will be copied in other states, and said AFA affiliates in several states are already looking at adopting a similar approach.  

The complete report can be viewed at www.ccv.org. For more information:

Citizens for Community Values
11175 Reading Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45241
513-733-5775
E-mail: info@ccv.org

____________________
The Legal Liability Associated with Homosexuality Education in Public Schools documents dangerous consequences of the homosexual lifestyle including:

➤ Compared to “straight” men, “gay” and bisexual men involved in same-sex activity risk cutting eight to 20 years off their life.
➤ “Gay,” lesbian and bisexual youth, grades 9-12 report disproportionate risk for a variety of health risks and problem behaviors.
➤ People with same-sex sexual behavior are at greater risk for psychiatric disorders.