Proposed anti-bullying books available for review
School district officials have released a list of books they’re considering to complement the district’s existing elementary school-level anti-bullying curriculum.
The 39 books on the list, which includes books from the California Department of Education’s recommended K-12 reading list for 2009 and books from private collections, include tomes intended to teach tolerance for students with different [...]
Parents launch fresh suit to quash Lesson 9
Updated 6:00 a.m. Friday, February 19
A pair of Alameda parents is suing the school district and school board, claiming the board violated the Brown Act by voting to readopt the anti-gay bullying Lesson 9 and to adopt accompanying literature that they said wasn’t included in staff’s original recommendation.
Kerry Cook and Serena Dietrich filed a suit [...]
PARENTS LAUNCH FRESH SUIT TO QUASH LESSON 9
A pair of Alameda parents is suing the school district and school board, claiming the board violated the Brown Act by voting to readopt the anti-gay bullying Lesson 9 and to adopt accompanying literature that wasn’t included in staff’s original recommendation.
Kerry Cook and Serena Dietrich filed a suit in Alameda County Superior Court today that [...]
School board recall proponents drop bid
Proponents of an effort to recall three school board members who voted to implement an anti-gay bullying curriculum in Alameda’s elementary schools have called a halt to those efforts.
“S.E.R.V.E. Alameda, proponents of the Recall of (Tracy) Jensen, (Ron) Mooney, & Neil (sp) Tam, are withdrawing from our signature-gathering campaign, thus no longer seeking to recall [...]
RECALL RECALLED
Proponents of a recall of three school board members who voted to implement anti-gay bullying lessons in Alameda’s public schools have called a halt to their recall efforts.
“S.E.R.V.E. Alameda, proponents of the Recall of Jensen, Mooney, (and) Neil (sp) Tam, are withdrawing from our signature-gathering campaign, thus no longer seeking to recall these three Board [...]
Eve Pearlman: Public schools and diversity
As a Jewish person, or a person of Jewish ancestry, or a non-religious, Jewish-identified person – or however you like to describe me (and you would think I would have adopted an appropriate phrase after 39 years of life, but I have not) – I am not always, nor is my family’s life always, in [...]
SCHOOL BOARD OKAYS NEW ANTI-BULLYING LESSONS, RETAINS LESSON 9
The School Board decided Tuesday night to adopt new anti-bullying lessons for the district’s elementary schools and to retain a lesson intended to halt anti-gay bullying until new ones that specifically address bullying on the basis of race and ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, religion and disability can be put into place.
The board first voted, [...]
Judge upholds opt out denial
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch on Tuesday affirmed a tentative ruling denying a group of parents’ request to be allowed to opt their children out of elementary school lessons intended to curtail anti-gay bullying.
Judge Roesch said the lessons did not constitute health education, as the plaintiffs had contended. State law allows parents to [...]
JUDGE TENTATIVELY DENIES LESSON 9 OPT OUT REQUEST
An Alameda County Superior Court judge has tentatively denied a request by some local parents to require the school district to allow their children to opt out of lessons designed to halt anti-gay bullying.
Judge Frank Roesch issued a temporary ruling on November 25 saying the lessons don’t constitute health education, as the parents are arguing. [...]
Alameda County Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker on the recall
As a longtime Alameda resident, parent of two daughters who both attended Alameda public schools and an elected official representing the city of Alameda, I strongly oppose the attempt to recall the majority of the Alameda school board.
Alameda should be a strong, vibrant, respectful, and supportive community for our children. It is this principle – [...]
The Island interviews Lesson 9 litigant Aiesha Balde
Aiesha Balde has long served as an advocate for Muslims and immigrants, as both an immigration consultant and as the co-founder and school director of the Islamic Center of Alameda. And that is what led Balde to attend a meeting the school district held last year to talk about its plans for an anti-gay bullying [...]
