Minnesota Student Forced To Relocate To Escape Teachers', Students' Hate

After suffering harrassment at the hands of teachers in his public school, Alex Merrit was forced to change schools to escape the hate

Alex Merritt says a $25,000 settlement is small consolation for the pain caused by two teachers who harassed him repeatedly with remarks about his perceived sexual orientation during classes in the Anoka-Hennepin School District during the 2007-2008 school year.

“A settlement doesn’t fix a broken heart,” said Merritt, who is now 18. “It doesn’t bring back all my friends.”

Merritt said the teachers’ comments, which he said weren’t true, spurred death threats and led him to transfer 25 miles away to Zimmerman High School, where he graduated in the spring.

Despite his complaints, and a resulting investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the district recently rejected a local gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) advocacy group’s offer to help train staff in the district’s recently revised policy on discussing sexual orientation. Until February district policy directed staff members to refrain from discussing homosexuality “as a normal, valid lifestyle” in health education classes.

“There are so many advocacy groups out there that you could have one for every social concern there is,” said Michelle Langenfeld, associate superintendent of the district, which is the state’s largest with more than 40,000 students. “What we’ve tried to do is create policy around a neutral stance, focusing on respect, appreciation of diversity, responsibility, integrity and compassion.”

OutFront Minnesota, the group that offered to help, doesn’t see it that way.

“When they say, ‘We don’t need to train our staff on how to deal with GLBT students,’” said Phil Duran, the group’s legal director, “I’m thinking they’ve got a problem.”

Langenfeld said Thursday that all Anoka-Hennepin staff members go through harassment training when they are hired, and that principals revisit the anti-harassment policy every year with their employees and students.

The system has generally worked, she said, and complaints like Merritt’s are extremely rare. When an incident like this comes along, “it’s obviously very troubling,” she said, “because clearly the policy was not on these folks’ radar.”

School Board Member Scott Wenzel pushed to revise the policy on discussing homosexuality following a suggestion by a Twin Cities GLBT group. He said that he and other board members were “horrified” when they learned about Merritt’s harassment. “I teach in St. Paul and I value diversity greatly, and I found it was horrible. It’s just disgusting that we would treat any human being … that way.”

With the case out in the open, Wenzel said he’s heard from parents upset that such harassment occurred.

Board members have asked the superintendent to investigate whether the district’s procedures went far enough to determine what was going on and whether the district has been proactive enough in helping the staff relate to all members of the community, Wenzel said.

“I think it’s important to let the community know that we are dealing with this as a board … and that we do expect a higher standard from our staff,” Wenzel said. “I think we also need more training for our staff so that our staff understands everyone who is coming to our community because our community is changing greatly compared to what it was 10, 15 years ago.”

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