C ommon Sense Millard South High School • 14905 Q St. • Omaha, Neb., 68137
November 20, 2020
Volume 21 Issue 2
District adds inclusive language to non-discrimination policy Lane Howard cerns about homophobic slurs being used against LGBT Not everyone agrees that this discrimination was Online Editor students in schools and an overall unsafe atmosphere at covered previously, though. schools due to bullying. The school board did not change “Some of my friends have been called the T-slur, the The Millard Public School Board will be updating the policy at that time. F-slur in the hallways before. Teachers are refusing to use its anti-discrimination and harrassment policies to add Jenny Schnaidt, ‘00, who wrote for Common Sense their preferred name and pronouns,” Hawkins said. “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” as protected about the GSA lobby in 2000, said she is pleased to see The reason for the change in policy now is a recent classes. They will vote on this change of policy at the Nov. the policy finally updated now. decision by the US Supreme Court. In June, the Supreme 16 board meeting. “I am happy that the board decided to add the lanCourt ruled on Bostock v. Clayton County that the 1964 Other school districts have had similar policies in guage to the policy, but I am disappointed it took so long Civil Rights ct includes protections for LGBT Americans place for years. Omaha Public Schools addagainst discrimination based on sex. This means ed the language to their nondiscriminathat employers cannot fire employees just for tion policy in 2016. Lincoln Public Schools The District does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. and Westside Public schools also included Still, some disagree with the landmark race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, these protections previously. Supreme Court ruling. Justice Samuel Alito and Currently, Millard Public Schools’ notice Brett Kavanaugh each wrote dissents disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender iden- Justice of nondiscrimination states, “The Millard against the decision, claiming that gender School District does not discriminate on tity, or on any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local identity and sexual orientation are not included the basis of race, color, religion, national in the term sex. Although Millard Public School laws, in admission or access to or treatment of employment, Board member Mike Pate said he was not origin, gender, marital status, disability, or age, or on any other basis prohibited by against anti-discrimination policies, he said he or in its programs and activities. federal, state, or local laws, in admission or also disagreed with the Supreme Court decision access to or treatment of employment, in in an interview with the Omaha World Herald. proposed language change to policy 5010 from board packet Nov. 2, 2020 its programs and activities.” With this historic decision, the school This update to the anti-discrimination board felt the need to comply with the new and harassment policy has been a long federal policy. “We can’t go against the law,” time coming for some. Millard South Gay Straight Alfor this change to happen since the GSA was actively Board President Linda Poole said in an interview with the liance (GSA) Co-President Irene Hawkins noticed its working on this back when I was in high school writing Omaha World Herald. “It’s not forcing us to do anything absence in her freshman year. for the paper,” Schnaidt said. different from what we’ve always done. That’s just basi “I know a lot of my peers have been very upset In 2015, the anti-discrimination and harassment cally our normal practice anyway,” Poole said. about things that have happened to them, and the policies were reviewed as part of a routine reaffirmation Normal practice or not, enforcement will be key in school board is technically not doing anything because it of policies by the school board. There was no change making sure discrimination against LGBT people will be isn’t a part of that policy,” Hawkins said. then, either, as the school board felt the policies already dealt with in the district. Over 20 years ago, in March 2000, the Omaha GSA covered everyone and complied with state and federal “My only fear is that it [protections for LGBT people] and student GSA from Millard North lobbied the school guidelines. The board said that their goal was to be broad will be added to the policy but it won’t be acted upon,” board to add “sexual orientation” to the nondiscriminaand over arching, so that all forms of discrimination Hawkins said. tion clause of the student handbook. The GSA cited conwould be included.
Teacher to TikTok fame: The story of Mr. Monroe and Nala Carah Jones Entertainment Editor
When the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools in March, students and teachers were forced to “do” school from their homes. At the time, TikTok had been on the App Store in the US for two years, and kids, teens, and adults turned to it while they were self-isolating. For Bryan Elementary’s fifth grade teacher Josh Monroe, he turned to TikTok to keep his students attending and engaged in Zoom lessons. With the help of his fellow fifth grade teachers, Mr. Henry and Mrs. Rogers, and his adorable dog, Nala, Monroe created fun videos to show students when they logged in. “Especially after COVID, I didn’t realise how much I took for granted about just coming into the classroom every day,” Monroe said. Now, Monroe’s TikTok account, @ mrmonroeandnala, which was originally private and only intended for his class,
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Lit Fly magazine still printing during pandemic. Photo by Keely King
now reaches more than just his students and so then I was like ‘I’ll keep doing this,’ He now has 628.4K followers. and it’s just gone from there.” Monroe’s dog Nala is a six year old While scrolling through TikTok one Westie. She is a certified therapy dog, and day, Monroe came across a point-of-view she spends three days (POV) video of a teacher a week in the classcoming up to a sleeping room with students. student, tapping on the During his plan peridesk and saying, “I’m tired, ods, Monroe takes Nala you’re tired, it’s time to to visit other students wake up and work,” then in different classrooms. walking away. “I go to the re “You know, I get where source room, and if a he’s coming from, but at the kid’s having a hard day, same time, that’s not how they come to my class your initial response should and hang out with Nala be to a student who’s sleepfor a while,” Monroe ing.” said. Monroe decided to cre “One day I was ate a POV video in response thinking, ‘I should 5th grade teacher Josh Monroe to the video previously make my account pub- and Nala mentioned. In it, he comes lic.’ So I did, and I made up to the student’s desk, some stupid dancing video where I was asks them what’s going on, and then just thanking teachers for all that they do, takes them aside to take a short nap with and it got up around 100 thousand views, Nala. The video blew up almost imme-
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Applying to colleges despite changes to ACT, GPA and Senior Abbie Smith runs in the Class A Girls State Cross Race. Photo courtesy of PrepRunningNerd AP testing. Photo by Olivia Palmer
diately. As his most popular, the video currently has 9.5M views, 2.7M likes, and 21.6K shares. Making TikToks hasn’t been easy for Monroe, however. His account has been banned a couple of times. “At that point I was kind of embarrassed, because it popped up and said that I had violated community guidelines,” he said. “For about four days, I contemplated making a video that said, ‘I don’t know why I was banned, you can go through all of my content, I haven’t done anything wrong, but I’m done with TikTok, because this is embarrassing to me, and I’m not going to do it again.’” When asked whether he had a purpose for his TikTok, Monroe responded, “I don’t think it started out with a mission or a goal. It just started out as a way to get kids on Zoom… But I guess, yeah, my mission kind of did develop into showing people how much teachers care.”
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Among Us game. Art by KJ Ellison