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 George W. Bush's Educational Plans Impact Seen on LGBT Youth and the Children of LGBT Parents School Choice, Safety, Faith Based Initiatives, Internet Filtering |
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Compiled By GayToday
Parental Choice, School Choice and School Vouchers As part of his proposed education plan, "No Child Left Behind," Bush advocates for increase parental choice with regard to the school his or her child attends. Bush believes that increasing parental choice will hold public schools more accountable for their successes and failures and will assure that the children receive "the best, most effective education possible. Under school voucher programs, private schools receive public money but may not be accountable to local or state regulations regarding teacher standards, non-discrimination policies or safe school regulations. In this paper Parental Choice, School Choice and School Vouchers GLSEN examines voucher programs that have already been established at the city level in Milwaukee and Cleveland and at the state level in Florida and discusses what a nationwide voucher program would mean for LGBT youth and families. Federal Safe School Initiatives As part of his proposed education plan, "No Child Left Behind," President Bush proposed measures that would allegedly empower states and local school districts to provide "high- quality education that is also safe and drug free." Although the majority of funds spent on education come from state and local government, the federal government has recognized its stake in insuring that schools are safe places for students to learn. In this paper Federal Safe School Initiatives GLSEN explores several federal initiatives that are meant to make our nation's school safer for all students and what theses initiatives may mean for LGBT youth and families. Specifically, GLSEN discusses the implications of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act and publications from the U.S. Department of Education about hate-crime prevention in school. Faith-Based Initiatives
With the new emphasis on faith-based programs, certain public school programs, such as drug awareness or prevention programs, suicide prevention or adolescent pregnancy services, could be operated by religious organizations. In this paper Faith-Based Initiatives GLSEN examines how such faith-based programs may be harmful for our nation's LGBT youth and families. Internet Filtering Software In December 2000, President Clinton signed the Childhood Internet Protection (CHIP) Act. The CHIP Act will require public schools and public libraries that receive federal funds for Internet services or technology to use Internet filter software that would screen out visual depictions that are "obscene, child pornography; or harmful to minors." Mr. Bush advocates for increased funding to schools for technology that would increase the number of public institutions required to use Internet filtering programs. In this paper, GLSEN examines the specific language of the CHIP Act and what will be required by public schools and libraries under it. GLSEN also explores the impact that Internet filtering could have on LGBT youth and families. Specifically, GLSEN tested one Internet filtering program to determine whether it blocked valuable LGBT community resources. Internet Filtering Software Mr. Bush has rightly prioritized education as a key issue for the first days of his Administration. By issuing this series of policy papers, GLSEN intends to hold him to his promise to leave no child behind by making our nation's schools safe and effective for LGBT youth and the children of LGBT parents. |
