Superintendent asks students to remove anti-gay stickers during investigation
An offensive sticker at one local school has students rallying to support the LGBT community. And now, the superintendent is asking the students wearing the sticker to remove it while the school investigates a proper course of action.
It started at Shadow Hills High School with a few students wearing an anti-gay sticker on their ID badge. Now, thanks to social media, students at a completely different school have started wearing a pro LGBT one.
“I saw it and got a little angry and decided to do something about it,” said Paige Labayog.
A few students at Shadow Hills High School decided to decorate their ID badges with an anti-gay symbol about three weeks ago.
“There are some students who feel threatened, they feel harassed by seeing these types of stickers,” said Shadow Hills teacher David Parsons.
Labayog, an eighth-grader at Palm Desert Middle School, saw the controversial stickers on social media.
“I was kind of shocked to see that people would actually do something like this,” said Labayog.
Paige is not a part of the LGBT community, but some of her friends are.
“Some of them they don’t feel comfortable with their sexuality,” said Labayog.
So she printed out 30 smiley faces and began coloring. Then she passed them out at school hoping to send a message.
“It’s OK, I’m accepting to anyone’s sexuality, it’s OK to be that way,” said Labayog.
The Desert Sands Unified School District says because of the First Amendment students have just has much the right to display an anti-gay symbol as a pro one.
“Every person can have a opinion, but if there’s harassment or bullying then it does cross the line,” said DSUSD Assistant Superintendent Laura Fisher.
Teachers at Shadow Hills tell us they believe it crossed the line.
“When someone takes a sticker and puts it in front of the face in front of somebody else, then that bounces from the realm of free speech into harassment or bullying,” said Parsons.
The district said it’s still investigating and provided counseling to the students involved. It’s also open to providing school-wide sensitivity training.
On Monday morning, Superintendent Gary Rutherford provided the following statement:
First, I want to assure our community that our District does not tolerate harassment or bullying of any kind. We have clear policies against those types of actions and they will continue to be enforced. That said, our schools are made up of many diverse communities with varied and sometimes conflicting points of view. The free expression of these views is protected, within certain limits, and it is in this context that I make my second point.
I am confident that the administration at Shadow Hills High School has deeply thought about and engaged this issue in a professional way, seeking to protect and support all students. However, recently some information has been brought forward that requires additional investigation and follow-up to determine a proper course of action. Pending further investigation, we are going to ask students who are displaying the symbol showing a rainbow pattern with a circle and a line, at least for now, to remove symbols while at school.
These issues are always difficult and we need to be respectful of the rights of all students and community members. In fact, this issue will surely give us an opportunity to look at some of the basic principles of how we relate to and engage with each other in a civil and supportive learning environment. We will stay engaged with the community on this issue. Please know that ensuring student well-being and safety is our most important concern.
The district wants anyone being bullied or witnessed bullying to report it. Click here to report it anonymously.
News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will keep you updated as the school decides what, if any, action will be taken against the students wearing the sticker at school.
