School District That Settled Lawsuit with Lesbian Student Wants Everyone to Know That It's Still Stupid
The Itawamba County School District has agreed to pay $35,000 plus attorney's fees to settle the lawsuit filed by lesbian student Constance McMillen over the school district's efforts to keep her from attending the high school prom. But the school district wants people to know two things:
- the school district admits no wrongdoing, learned nothing and maintains its high level of stupidity:
School district attorney Michelle Floyd issued a statement Tuesday saying "the Itawamba County School District believes that Constance McMillen's rights under the United States Constitution were not violated by any act, omission, policy, custom or practice of the district."
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the district isn't paying anything—some sucker insurance company is:
Floyd said the district's insurance policy would pay the award.
Newsflash for clueless school district: The insurance company settled because it—along with pretty much everyone else—realizes that you are stupid. A bait and switch fake prom? To keep the gay kid out? Are you kidding me? Do you know how many levels of stupidity that covers? Of course you don't. You were probably running off the handicapped kid when they covered equal rights in school.
Constance McMillen Wins—Itawamba County High School Students are the Big Losers
Constance McMillen comes out of this as the big winner. She handled this matter with dignity, got to meet the President and is nationally famous.
The saddest thing about this is the horrible example that the school district leadership set for its students. The message to the students at the high school is that it is ok to pick on students who you don't like because of their color, gender, religion, health, sexual orientation, weight, height or anything else that makes people different from you. But its not ok. It's wrong.
But now it will take years for some of these kids to figure it out on their own. Twenty-five years from now Constance McMillen will be receiving apologies from her former classmates who figured it out somewhere along the way and need to apologize to clear their consciences. The guilt that those students will carry around for the rest of their lives makes them the big losers in this debacle.
Insurers settle all kinds of cases without merit, just to avoid risk, and without any implication that their client is liable, or stupid.
This case however is the exception that proves the rule.
This is the best explanation of the District's response I've read. Brilliant!
So what will the district do next year? Hopefully LGBT students will enjoy the prom like their straight peers will: ALTOGETHER!
I am a teacher, and this district's behavior is an embarrassment to educators everywhere. In my book, these administrators have failed as leaders. Respecting diversity is key to any student entering the workforce successfully! If they can't even dance in the same room with peers who are different in some way from them, what on earth will they do when their livelihood depends on working for or working with people of diverse cultures, colors, differently-abled folks, those older or younger than they are, and yes, even with members of the LGBT community! Public school is all about learning social skills along with academics.
Very well said, Ms. Andrews.