But the state board had not formally adopted regulations implementing the law. School handbooks and codes of conduct are to be brought up to date to reflect the ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation. But it is a change of language in the regulations' curriculum section that is sparking debate. Implications Debated David LaFontaine, the director of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, described the implications of those changes as chilling and dangerous. What we are talking about is creating human rights across the board.
Some old myths take time to die.
But the state school board's chairman, James A. Peyser, said the changes made the regulations more practical for schools and better reflected the mission of the public school system. Expecting teachers and principals to counteract all stereotypes, he said, is an impossible task. It's a distraction from the core focus of schools. The issue raises deeper questions about the school's role in portraying certain groups, Mr. Peyser added. In 1993, Massachusetts became the second state in the nation, after Wisconsin, to protect students from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.