Subject: strictly fyi: RIGHT WING WATCH
From: Ryan Schwartz
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:30:32 -0700
To: NEWS@safeschoolscoalition.org

Look at right wing bullying groups - ken trump, (bully police?)

Dear Safe Schools Coalition members and friends:

RIGHT WING WATCH

(1) Conservative Organizations gear up for Day of Silence, rebrand Day of Truth
(2) 
School Safety vs. Safe Schools
(3) 
New Hampshire House guts bullying law

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(1) 
Conservative Organizations gear up for Day of Silence, rebrand Day of Truth
For years, GLSEN's Day of Silence has encouraged tens of thousands of students to br
ing attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in their schools. This year's Day of Silence is planned for April 15th. As usual, conservative groups are planning their response to the popular movement, but this year will be different because Exodus International is no longer sponsoring this year's counter to the Day of Silence, the Day of Truth. Announced this Fall, Exodus decided the Day of Truth was no longer necessary, and 'returned' it to its founder, Alliance Defense Fund. In its place, Alliance Defense Fund got Focus on the Family to sponsor the day, rebranding it as the Day of Dialogue for April 18th. Day of Dialogue asks, "Wouldn't it be nice if a deeper and freer conversation could happen when controversial sexual topics are brought up in your school?... Because Focus on the Family firmly believes that the truth will rise to the surface when honest conversations are allowed to happen." Help your students prepare for the Day of Dialogue by reviewing Focus's 'conversation cards,' and suggested responses to common challenges. For those who don't think Day of Dialogue goes far enough, the Illinois Family Institute is sponsoring the Day of Silence walkout, which encourages students to skip school to provide schools "a proper understanding of the role  and limits of public education."  
 
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(2) 
School Safety vs. Safe Schools
The school security blog has been writing for some time against comprehensive bullying legislation, and is a great read to understand how anti-gay conservatives might push back against bullying policies. The blog is written by Ken Trump, who made his education consulting business talking about guns, metal detectors, and school shootings. He was invited to Bush's White House conference on school safety in 2006, which focused on the Virginia Tech shooting and responding to gunmen on school campuses. So naturally, he has been disappointed that the current focus on school safety is examining bullying and school climate issues, addressing the roots of some school violence instead of promoting a more militaristic approach.  Even though his blog posts on Obama's White House conference on bullying offer little analysis, keep an eye out for his responses to breaking safe schools news as a way to predict pushback aginst LGBT-inclusive efforts. His posts also beg the question of if 'safe schools' is still the best way to frame bullying prevention work. 

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(3) 
New Hampshire House guts bullying law
The New Hampshire House voted this week to delete portions of the state's bullying law that include enumerated characteristics of those who are targeted most often, as well as requirements on investigating cyber-bullying and withholding information that would jeopardize the wellbeing of students. Although support for the law-as-written came pouring in, and the house's student advisory committee unanimously opposed the edits, the conservative house pushed ahead with the changes. The amendments were sponsored by two Republican representatives under the guide of 'parental rights,' but opponents say the original law was created to enhance the rights of parents. The state Senate must now consider the changes.

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Ryan Schwartz
Hummingbird INK