'Rainbow Day' bias

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'Rainbow Day' bias
Becky Yeh - OneNewsNow California correspondent - 11/21/2011 3:50:00 AM
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=1480878


A pro-family attorney says officials of one California school district were biased when they wouldn't allow a parent to be involved in her child's education.

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) filed legal briefs with the California Court of Appeal, arguing that San Jose Unified School District officials broke the law by refusing to acknowledge Norina Mooney's request to make changes to a pro-LGBT event at her daughter's school.

The lawsuit stems from a "Rainbow Day" event at Castillero Middle School that addressed the issue of lesbian, "gay," bisexual, and transgender bullying. Mooney asked the school district to place a request on the agenda that would recognize other minorities who are affected by bullying, but the superintendent and board president refused. PJI filed suit in June to protect parents' rights to participate in such decisions, but a Santa Clara County judge rejected the case without comment, prompting appeal.

Charles LiMandriCharles LiMandri, director of the Thomas Moore Law Center's (TMLC) West Coast regional office, tells OneNewsNow that officials were biased to only apply protection against bullying to LGBT students.

"Fact is, bullying is a problem in schools, but it's by no means limited to this relatively small percentage of student population," he points out. "So it's a perfectly reasonable and legitimate request."

California law allows citizens to place items on school board agendas for a vote. But according to PJI, attorneys for the San Jose Unified School District say the school board does not have the ability to ask a middle school to alter a school-wide event.