Clear policy on harassment in schools should be enough

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

The very first day of high school, the brand-new freshman class was herded into the auditorium to receive the Rules of the School. The vice principal stood at the rostrum, looked each and every quaking, squeaky-voiced student dead in the eye and welcomed them to the school with these words:

"I don't care what you say about me behind my back. I don't care what you call me to my face. If you mess up, I will find out about it. And I will get you."

Those were the words of Lokelani Lindsey, who served as vice principal of Baldwin High School in 1980. Setting aside the irony of quoting Lokelani Lindsey, the point is, at the time, her words were striking in their force and simplicity. It was a blanket statement about what was expected: don't screw up or bad things will happen to you. The students got the message loud and clear. No details, special training sessions, break-out groups, take-home handouts or bulletin board displays were necessary.

In contrast, we have the hand-wringing over the implementation of the anti-harassment rule in Hawai'i's public schools. The whole affair seems to be an opportunity to complicate what should be a very simple matter with layers and layers of personal agendas and paranoia.

The first complication came with the formation of a committee that was supposed to provide direction and focus to the Department of Education on the issue. Don't bother asking why a committee was needed in the first place. This is a state gig, after all. There are always committees.

The Department of Education saw fit to put on the committee people with completely different views and very strong agendas. So much for the democratic process. The committee couldn't even reach consensus on a recommendation, and instead, issued a "majority report" rather than a unanimously supported document.

This majority report recommends the establishment of a permanent advisory board comprised of people experienced in working with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth. It also calls for a monitoring committee, which would set up a system of reporting violations, including a grievance procedure. The report recommends mandatory annual training for teachers, administrators and students. It reads: "A significant portion of this training is to focus on sexual minority youth given the long-standing historical neglect, pervasive societal non-acceptance and the continued obliviousness of the existence of harassment for this protected class of students."

Some people worry that this would mean the DOE would be teaching students how to be gay. There's a smart-aleck remark to be made here about the absurdity of worrying about the DOE teaching kids anything, but far be it from me to take such a cheap shot.

The bottom line is that kids should feel safe at school no matter what. They shouldn't be teased, hit, bothered, slapped, singled out, ignored, threatened or insulted.

Maybe the better way to sell tolerance to the self-absorbed and self-righteous is to emphasize the "what's in it for them." What's in it for them is that learning to get along with people you don't like, don't agree with, don't understand is essential to survival in our increasingly diverse world. You can lock yourself away in a place where you live, work and socialize with people who think just like you, believe just what you believe, and live exactly the way you do. There are many such cults to choose from. But if you want to live in the larger world, you gotta learn to deal with people who are different, and the sooner you learn, the better off you'll be.

This should be simple, devoid of committees and reports and recommendations. Students just need to know that harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. Period. All the sensitivity training in the world won't turn a hardened heart. Kids need to hear it from someone in authority, someone they know means business, and since Lokelani is a little busy with her trial coming up and all, it behooves all teachers and administrators to step up to the plate.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com