AG’s Office: Danvers Public School District resolution responds to hate & bias incidents

By: Audrey Cole TRT Reporter

BOSTON—Following an extensive investigation into serious incidents of discriminatory bullying, harassment, and other misconduct by players on the Danvers High School varsity hockey team, Attorney General Maura Healey recently announced a resolution with the Danvers Public School District (DPSD) in which the District has agreed to take significant steps to improve its ability to prevent, investigate, and address hate and bias incidents, particularly in its athletics program. According to the AG’s Office, DPSD failed to properly respond to several years of bullying and harassment in violation of the state’s Anti-Bullying Law, Student Antidiscrimination Act, and Fair Educational Practices Act. Players on the hockey team engaged in hazing rituals that involved racist, homophobic, and physically and sexually abusive behavior, which were part of a toxic team culture that developed and persisted because the varsity hockey coach failed to properly supervise the team.

“Racism, homophobia, and bigotry of any kind have no place in our locker rooms, rinks, or playing fields – we need to create a safe and supportive environment for our students to grow and learn,” said AG Healey. “With today’s resolution, the Danvers Public School

District has committed to making needed changes to improve the culture in its schools and athletics program, protect students’ rights, and ensure that incidents of hate and bias are never overlooked again.”

“This agreement places schools districts on notice that they have a responsibility to respond to bias incidents and take prompt action when hate infiltrates school programs, especially athletics,” said Robert Trestan, Anti-Defamation League New England Regional Director. “We welcome Danvers’ acceptance of responsibility and commitment to change which represents a path forward for the entire community.”

“We are grateful that the AG’s Office proactively investigated this case and negotiated an appropriate resolution,” said Natalie Bowers, President of the North Shore NAACP. “We now hope the entire town of Danvers – the school, police department, town hall and individual community members –all take to heart their individual responsibility within it. If we all do our part and sincerely engage in the work, we will ensure Danvers is a place where our youth can sow fond childhood memories instead of receiving scars from trauma. This alone is worth the work.”

According to the AG’s investigation, DPSD struggled to manage certain aspects of overlapping investigations into the hockey team, creating clear challenges with varying results. DPSD did not appear to have initiated appropriate disciplinary proceedings for several students identified as having allegedly engaged in bias-related behavior or consider whether sexual and racist misconduct identified during its investigations may have created a hostile environment for some players.

The AG’s Office also expressed concern for DPSD’s response to the “virulently racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, and misogynistic” comments and images posted to the hockey teams’ group texts. DPSD decided not to significantly discipline players who posted discriminatory and biased comments after concluding that the texts constituted private, off-campus speech.

According to the AG’s Office, however, schools have the authority –and frequently an obligation – to respond to even ostensibly private speech that involves, encourages, or fosters an environment that results in bullying or harassment, or otherwise interferes with students’ rights at school.

The AG’s Office also concluded that DPSD could have improved its communications with the school community concerning the incidents on the hockey team in order to build trust and maintain an open, supportive, and inclusive educational environment.

Separately, the AG’s Office made recommendations to the town of Danvers and the Danvers Police Department based on its investigation. Consistent with these recommenda- tions, the Danvers Police Department has committed to reassign former Varsity Hockey Coach Steve Baldassare to a position in which he will no longer supervise or have any role in the Danvers School Resource Officer Program. DPSD has also already taken important steps in response to the incidents involving the hockey team, including disciplinary action against several students involved, and increased training for students, athletes, coaches, and administrators.

The AG’s Office recognizes that additional work can and must be done to prevent and address hate and bias. Under the terms of the AG’s resolution, DPSD voluntarily agrees to the following:

• Policies and procedures: DPSD will review its existing policies and procedures and make any amendments, or adopt any additional policies and procedures, necessary to effectively prohibit and address harassment, bullying, and biased misconduct consistent with the AG’s Guidance on Schools Legal Obligations to Prevent and Address Hate and Bias Incidents (https://bit.ly/3GaYchg).

• Training: DPSD will provide administrators, teachers, coaches, and staff with sufficient training and support to permit them to effectively implement the policies approved by the AG’s Office.

By: Terri Schlichenmeyer* Special to TRT

To our readers, we hope you enjoy this puzzle before, during and after Pride Season 2022. Maybe it’ll help de-stress you too. Good luck! The solution is

This way, two more that way, tap your heels together, stepand-bow left, step-and-bow right, turn and again. Eventually, you'll get the hang of doing this and you won't bump into everybody on the dance floor. Also eventually, you'll see that country music has a place for you even when, as in the’new book "Queer Country” by Shana Goldin-Perschbacher, you never thought you had a place for it.

Usually, when one thinks about country music, rural living comes to mind: cowboys, pick-ups, Christian values, conservatism, heartbreak and honky tonks. Stereotypically, few of those things have seemed LGBTQ+-inclusive and listeners might have felt unwelcome, were it not for today's boundarybreakers and "queer country" which, says Goldin-Perschbacher, is becoming more of a music category with fans.

Goldin-Perschbacher is quick to say that "queer country" is not a genre on its own. Some out musicians might closer identify themselves with Americana or folk music; k.d. lang's music is more countrypolitan, but with humor; and you can attend queer Bluegrass festivals, if you want. None of this defines the various artists: in many ways, gay, lesbian, and trans artists have really had no other options than to embrace all labels.

Then there's the issue of how to do queer country: Goldin-Perschbacher refers often to Patrick Haggerty, who was the first gay artist to officially record the album Lavender Country He recorded it in Seattle, shortly after Stonewall; at that time, Haggerty was especially determined that his album be honest and sincere in its reflection of gay life – things that continue to concern queer artists who use irony, drag, and camp in their work.

And there's that struggle to go mainstream. Goldin-Perschbacher writes about k.d. lang's career and how it progressed. You'll read about Chely Wright and Lil Nas X and how they used non-traditional ways to rise to stardom. And you'll read about many artists who do what seems best for them, and count LGBTQ+ listeners and cis audience members among their fans.

There really is no way "Queer Country" could ever be considered a "beach

Her Pride anthem encourages Queer people to keep fighting and shake sh*t up

By: Tim Larcombe Special to TRT

Talia Keys is celebrating Pride month with the release of a new music video that calls for today’s queer generation to be loud and proud in who they are.

“We’re Here” is a reggae inspired, feel good anthem, broken into three parts. The first verse is about the internal struggles many LGBTQ+ youth face when their outward appearance doesn’t quite fit the societal mold. The second verse challenges them to smash the patriarchy of society’s expectations around gender binaries; and the outro encourages all to own who they are because by simply existing, they are changing the world into a better place.

“We need to fight the status quo,” Keys insists. “Because like it or not, we’re Queer, we’re here and we aren’t going anywhere.”

Keys says she wrote and recorded the song because growing up in Mormon Utah as a closeted queer Catholic girl put a target on her. She was bullied for being a Tomboy and she became a bully in order to protect her secret. She didn’t come out until her midtwenties, and when she did, Talia, a successful musician, lost fans and gigs. She kept her drive, though, and today, she uses her music and performances to preach the good word of love and

pain. I’m hurting; we’re hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family.”

Russia for Griner

Russia, Griner said in an ESPN interview in 2017, helped her mature and view the past in a different light. Seeing things differently, she was able to better handle the past, the bullying she went through as a child and youth, and even cope better with her reactions on and off the court.

“Being here in Russia has definitely changed my life, it made me grow up, it made me kind of learn how to be by myself,” she said to the Sports network then. “It made me grow on the court and off the court.”

In words that are timelier now than ever, Griner explained it all better during that same interview.

“When you’re broken and you’re down and you are at you are lowest moment, it sucks and you hate it, but you learn so much,” she said of living in Russia and what it did for her. “Every time I’ve been broken down I came back stronger. It’s like a phoenix coming out the ashes.” acceptance. “I see the stage as my platform to spread awareness.”

To sign the petition to secure the star’s return, click here (https://chng.it/ssfsf6Rgx6).

That message is gone. As queer people, though, we learn to be strong willed and to perform with our entire heart, even if it

The video features several Queer, trans, enby artists and drag queens including Madazon CanCan, a gender non-binary drag king, burlesque dancer and clown.- tivated by their ability to entertain,”- bled an all-Queer crew tocluding the award-winning -

lahn Atkinson

Talia Keys iscian who has

This isn't the relaxed, rangy kind of book you want to sunbathe with; instead, author Shana Goldin-Perschbacher speaks to the academic, rather than the casual listener, with language that seems to fit better in school, than in sand. The analyses border on the highbrow just a bit, with some amount of repetition to underscore various points.

Even so, this is an important work.

In writing about this almost-hidden branch of country music, Goldin-Perschbacher also tells of the efforts she's made to help some artists to gain a wider audience. This lends more of an insider feel; the intimately extensive interviews with artists, and excerpts from other works, let readers know that they should keep their eyes (and ears!) open...

Give yourself some room to absorb, if you tackle this book. It's not for everyone, but C&W listeners and "queer country" fans may find it necessary. Step one is to find somewhere comfortable to sit. Reading "Queer Country" is step two.

*The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a prairie in Wisconsin with two dogs, one patient man, and 17,000 books.

enjoyed a loyal following in Salt Lake City clubs for over a decade, and has made a name for herself on national tours and jam festivals from coast to coast.

Her trademark fire and brimstone stage presence is an amalgam of her journey, identity, and musical influences. While her physical appearance may scream LESBO, her music does not. It presents a modern twist on the rock n’ roll troubadour singing songs of struggle and ultimately, triumph.

Talia Keys’ “We’re Here” is available now on all digital platforms. Its music video is on YouTube. Visit Talia’s website and follow her on Instagram @ taliakeys.