American Civil Liberties Union Settles Anti-Gay Bullying Case With Florida School District; Actions Include Public Apology By Teacher Who Mocked 15 Year Boy In Class

An update on a previous post, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida announced an agreement with the Flagler County School District regarding the case of a Flagler Palm Coast High School student whom students and a teacher harassed for being gay, according to a report by The St. Augustine Record. 15 year old freshman Luke Herbert was bullied and threatened by fellow students at school, on Facebook, and was attacked on school property by another student who taunted him with anti-gay slurs. Herbert reported harassment incidents to school officials, but nothing was done. "I reported the bullying to the administration but it never seemed to change anything. I felt alone and it made me stop wanting to go to school," Herbert said. "My breaking point came when one of my teachers started telling anti-gay jokes and mocking me in front of the entire class." He stopped attending classes and faced the possibility of failing the ninth grade, the release said. At that time, the ACLU of Florida got involved. "What happened to Luke is inexcusable, but unfortunately is an all-too-common occurrence for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students," said ACLU of Florida Advocacy Project Attorney Shelbi Day. "Schools have an obligation to ensure that teachers and students understand that bullying and harassment of any student is prohibited and to act swiftly and appropriately to address it when it occurs." After meeting with Day and co-counsel Phillip Chanfrau Jr., school officials acknowledged Herbert's harassment had not been handled correctly. The school district reprimanded the teacher who harassed Herbert and agreed to actions in order to make amends. The actions include having the teacher make a public apology, the district is working with Herbert to get him back on track academically, and offering Herbert several options for completing his education in an environment in which he can feel safe and supported. The school district is also working with the Flagler Palm Coast Gay-Straight Alliance to create public service announcements about bullying.