Anchorage School Board looks to punish the indirect ‘disturbing’ of ‘sexual orientation’

Students, staff and volunteers throughout the Anchorage School District may soon face stiff punishments for indirectly “disturbing” someone’s claimed sexual orientation.

In a proposed revision, the board will be introducing changes to its Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying policy at its Aug. 6 meeting. The changes were recommended by a subcommittee and passed on to the board for a final vote.

The current policy seeks to foster a positive school environment by defining harassment, intimidation and bullying, while also imposing punishments on staff, students and volunteers who run afoul of the rules. Disciplinary actions include suspension or expulsion for students, suspension or termination for staff, and denial of opportunities for volunteers.

The current policy makes no mention of sexual orientation, nor does it address “indirect” harassment. Instead, it defines harassment, intimidation and bullying as action that “physically harms” a student, “has the effect of substantially interfering” with education, is “intimidating or threatening,” or substantially disrupts orderly school operations.

The new and vastly expanded proposal, however, defines harassment as “the intentional behavior by a student (or group of students) that is disturbing or threatening to another student. Intentional behaviors that characterize harassment include “unwelcome verbal or written comments,” which are either “direct or indirect” and related, but not limited to, race, religion, sexual orientation, cultural background, economic status, size or personal appearance.

Other districts across the nation that have instituted such sweeping policies have used them to target conservative and religious minded staff.

While the proposed Anchorage policy includes a disclaimer stating it “should not be interpreted to prohibit a reasoned and civil exchange of opinions or debate that is protected by law and School Board Policy,” the policy opens the door for district officials to clamp down on a wide range of unwanted free speech.

The nonprofit legal group, Alliance Defending Freedom, has represented numerous educators across the nation who have been targeted by similarly worded policies.

“Unfortunately, radical gender ideology and its accompanying pronoun demands aren’t giving people that freedom,” the group’s website warns. “Many corporations and government officials label it offensive, discriminatory, and harmful not to use a person’s ‘preferred pronouns.’ And, in the name of diversity and inclusion, this leads them to fire or ‘cancel’ those who don’t toe the line. Ultimately, activists’ goals are to change the way you think, to punish any dissent, and to render it difficult (if not impossible) to communicate the truth that God created each of us either male or female.”

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