Louisville, KENTUCKY

Dec 2, 2007 - Talk about a man without a clue.

Jefferson County public schools Superintendent Sheldon Berman, in defending the new, narrowly-passed anti-discrimination policy, said "If someone is calling someone else gay, I expect a teacher to confront it and tell them that it is not appropriate and that we want them to respect other people," he said.

He also said, teachers should not be discussing their sexual beliefs with children, adding that he does not believe that is a problem in Jefferson County's classrooms.

THIS, despite the fact that an openly lesbian teacher told the board at the Nov 12 board meeting that she had shared her sexual orientation with a middle school student who had used a sexual slur.

"I simply have to disagree. I have been outed at all of the schools I have been at in Jefferson County, and to be honest, it hasn't disrupted learning or been difficult to manage," [Highland Middle School instructor Kat Crawford] told the board.

"As a matter of fact, I have found my living honestly and openly as a lesbian to be very positive in a way to capture a teachable moment here and there."

Citing an example just a week earlier, Crawford said she heard a girl tell other kids while on her way to scoliosis screening that "there are going to be lesbians working this," prompting snickers.

"I called the girl over and talked with her privately," Crawford told the board. "… I asked her what she said … and why she said it. I told her that I took offense to it (and said), 'How do you think that comment makes this lesbian feel?' "

TT- Calling someone a lesbian is a slur? Or just an opportunity to chastise a child and intimidate them and advertise the teacher's sexual orientation? And do you believe a middle school student used the expression, "there are going to be lesbians working this?"

The school board shouldn't be suprised. In the announcement that Berman would be the new superintendent beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, the school board used the term "diverse" twice, "diversity" twice and "diversified" once. And there was this:

We see in Dr. Berman a person who is a consensus builder, and who can develop coalitions among diverse interest groups. He is committed to collaborating closely not only with employees and the Board, but with legislators, community organizations, universities, local government, labor groups, State education agencies, and other stakeholders. He is a highly skilled listener, and genuinely wants to hear and consider all sides of an issue before arriving at a decision.

Where do parents come in? Not once in the announcement.

WATCH THE VIDEO Board member Ann Elmore, who was on the committee that recommended the change, voted against the new policy.