DOE should stand up for students
On Aug. 15, 2015, the Hawaii Tribune Herald and the West Hawaii Today featured an article regarding a father taking on the Department of Education due to the harassment of his two sons in an East Hawaii public schoolbecause of the father’s sexual orientation.
Since then this family has been in the news several more times, including November of 2016 when the home of this family was vandalized with homophobic slurs spray painted all over the house. These boys have been both physically and psychologically harassed and are now unable to attend school due to the harassment and theDepartment of Education’s failure to address the issue.
The DOE website clearly states that discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited by the DOE, and yet no action is taken. When one of the boys was sexually harassed on a school bus, school officials informed the father that there was nothing the school could do because it did not happen on campus. This statement is a direct contradiction of Chapter 19 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes which states that the DOE is responsible for student conduct on buses provided by the DOE.
On Feb. 15, this father was physically prevented from entering the East Hawaii Department of Education ComplexArea office by state sheriffs and all efforts to meet with DOE officials have been disregarded.
Our children are guaranteed access to an education by law. State law and DOE policies require action to be takento prevent this harassment, and yet no action is being taken. We the people of the community would like to know when this situation will be addressed. Our children have the right to be safe in school!
Jefferson Gourley
PFLAG Kona/Big Island President