Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.

Educators called on
to define, attack harassment

---

By Mary Adamski
Star-Bulletin

"Who belongs in our community? Who deserves to succeed?"

Those questions are intended to lead teachers and principals beyond simply reacting to incidents in enforcing the rule against harassment in public schools.

Ideas on how to weave civil-rights awareness and tolerance of differences into the curriculum and atmosphere of Hawaii public schools were discussed recently by the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission Diversity Committee.

Public discussion before the rule was approved in November by the state Board of Education focused on incidents involving discrimination against black or homosexual youngsters. But the potential for hurt is much broader, said committee member Jill Nunokawa. "Every single child, there is some issue that they feel inferior, whether it's sports or looks or whatever."

At a time when the Department of Education is emphasizing compliance with standards, "Why isn't this a standard? Why are the only standards for curriculum?" asked Nunokawa, University of Hawaii civil rights counselor.

"Let's bring as many people to the table as possible," said Commissioner Faye Kennedy said "Even though we know gays and African Americans ... get most of the bullying, there are also the disabled, the overweight. We need to talk about all the 'pitiful' people. We need to remind people that even though Asians don't get picked on here, they do on the mainland."

The committee was created two years ago after the mother of an African-American child complained to the U.S. Department of Education about the failure of school officials to curb verbal attacks he endured at school. Civil Rights Commission Chairman Harry Lee said the committee's first step is to prepare a brochure for teachers that "adds meat to the bone" of the anti-harassment rule.

The guideline which the committee is crafting is "something with which to assess themselves as teachers ... to allow the teachers a smidgen of self-analysis," said Ah Quon McElrath, UH regent and longtime social activist.

The committee intends to eventually target parents and the wider community in its education and self-analysis effort. The members are well aware that they're entering the highly charged political and religious debate about homosexuality.

Chris Iijima, a University of Hawaii law professor, said they will not achieve tolerance "by pleasing everyone. Either we say homophobia is wrong or we don't. We're going to have to not take the easy way out."

Iijima said: "The Civil Rights Commission has the opportunity to redefine and deepen the discussion on what racism is, on what sexism is.

"Clearly lots of good people do not have a clear understanding," he said. "Some people think that 'if I don't actively discriminate, if I don't hit the bottom line, I must not be a racist.' "

Commission member Jack Law said the committee should set a standard for the Department of Education, make a statement of "This is where the teacher should come from, this is where the school ... the student ... should come from.

"We put pressure on (the department). If we don't, lawsuits are going to come along and put the pressure on them."