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| this Bald Eagle lives in Brewster |
Four Seasons Limousine in Danbury CT 800-914-(RIDE) since 1898 |
Serving the Danbury area since 1989
Federal Correction Institution
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| Danbury CT 1907 |
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Teaching gay history not on the horizon in Greater Danbury area
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It doesn't appear that students in the Greater Danbury area or across the state will be taught gay history in the schools anytime soon.
Another chapter in gay history was written Friday when New York became the sixth and largest state in the U.S. where gays will be able to wed legally.
California passed legislation in April mandating schools to teach gay history, but Connecticut -- where gay marriage is legal -- has no such law.
California does not allow gays to marry, but according to Williams Glass, the deputy superintendent of Danbury Public Schools, there was enough push from the community in that state to include gay history in the curriculum.
"In Connecticut, that movement has not come here," Glass observed.
Glass said that to his knowledge, no one has brought up the idea of teaching gay history in schools.
The curriculum is created as a result of the community's desires, he said, and he has not heard from either parents or students on the matter.
Although there has not been any discussion of teaching gay history at Ridgefield High School, Principal Jeffrey Jaslow said it is a topic that students should be taught about.
"I think it's been a part of history," he said. "I certainly would not go out of my way to exclude it from the curriculum."
Jaslow said the topic of gay rights and the legalization of gay marriage may come up in classroom discussions about current events.
The high school has anti-bullying workshops and has observed the National Day of Silence, a day when students take a vow of silence to take a stand against bullying toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students.
"It went very well," Jaslow said.
Gary Chesley, the superintendent of Bethel public schools, said there have not been any conversations about teaching gay history in social studies classes in his district.
"We're focused on teaching the fundamentals of American history," he said.
Chesley said he is not trying to denigrate anyone, but he wants give students a solid background on how the country got to the point that it is at today.
"We're happy to do that," Chesley said.
Alicia Roy, the superintendent of New Fairfield schools, said there has not been a discussion on incorporating gay history into the curriculum, but she believes that the subject is discussed in classes.
"I'm sure it comes up," Roy said. "We cover quite a bit in our curriculum."
Brookfield, New Milford and Newtown public school officials also said gay history is currently not a part of their schools' curriculums.
"We have not even discussed it," said Maureen McLaughlin, the assistant superintendent of New Milford public schools.
Discussions about gay history being incorporated into the curriculum in Brookfield schools also have not taken place, according to Board of Education member Ray DiStephan.
Linda Gejda, the assistant superintendent of Newtown public schools, said she has not heard suggestions from the community about incorporating gay history into the curriculum.
However, Gejda said, Newtown High School has a gay-straight alliance and teachers try to teach their students about diversity, acceptance, respect and tolerance.
Teaching tolerance for all people should come before teaching gay history, observed Cindy Nejame, a former adviser for Danbury High School's gay-straight alliance.
Contact Stacy Davis at sdavis@newstimes.com or 203-731-3331. Follow her at twitter.com/StacyDavisNT
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