The long march of Kevin Jennings' agenda continues, making clear that the problems in state curricula and education materials are not only limited to Iowa, as our Preserve Innocence project has researched.

Education Week reports that 42 states have now introduced anti-bullying legislation, including most recently Massachusetts. It would be good for parents to know what is in these laws, as Jennings' organization GLSEN has used such measures as a way of indoctrinating children with ideological sexual education, under the guise of promoting "safe schools."

In Pennsylvania, the state house is moving to require "age-appropriate" sex-ed classes in schools, while of course "age-appropriate" is often a very relative term:

A bill that would mandate sexual-education instruction for all public school students in Pennsylvania is gaining ground in the state Legislature.

The House Education Committee Wednesday approved House Bill 1163, which would mandate "age-appropriate" sex-education classes covering a variety of topics, from abstinence to contraceptives. It's that last topic that has sparked controversy.

State Rep. Gordon Denlinger, a Republican from Narvon, said the bill's emphasis on contraceptives would result in schools "promoting casual sexual activity among our teen population."

"This stands in direct contradiction to the wishes of most parents of public school students," he said.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, parents have had some success in preserving the innocence of their kids by removing harmful, sexually-explicit books from their schools' libraries:

A Burlington County school board voted Tuesday night to pull a book depicting teenage homosexuality from its high school library shelves after protests from a local conservative group.

The Rancocas Valley Board of Education, which oversees a regional high school serving the Mount Holly area, was concerned that the book was too graphic for children, said school board member Jesse Adams.

"We felt, from an obscenity perspective, there were some things our children didn't need to see," he said. "We don't allow our children to curse in school, and we don't think this is something we should be promoting in the school."

... At Tuesday's meeting, the school board voted unanimously to ban Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology but elected to allow the other two books to remain in the library.

Beverly Marinelli, a member of the local 9.12 group, applauded the decision but questioned why the books were allowed into the library in the first place.

"Where is the oversight on this?" she asked during the meeting. (Philadelphia Enquirer)

Exactly! These books were approved by someone, and would have remained on school shelves if parents had not done something. And yet, even their efforts were not entirely successful, because two of the books remain: Love and Sex: 10 Stories of Truth and The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities.

Parents and other concerned citizens looking to become more involved with our efforts to preserve the innocence of children across the nation are welcome to visit our Preserve Innocence website, and our associated Facebook group. Get involved to get these dangerous things out of our schools!

Jennings' throw-money-at-problems philosophy is on-display again today (bolding mine):

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools has awarded three new Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) grants, totaling more than $137,000, to school districts in California, New Mexico and Alabama to assist with ongoing recovery efforts following a series of student suicides and a middle school shooting. Project SERV grants provide funding to school districts and institutions of higher learning that have experienced a traumatic event and need resources to respond to the event and re-establish a safe learning environment. This fiscal year, the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools has awarded more than $1.1 million to 10 grantees, including the most recent grants to Palo Alto Unified School District, in Palo Alto, Calif.; the Mescalero Apache School District in Mescalero, N.M.; and the Madison City School District in Madison, Ala.

"When unfortunate events disrupt the lives of children and schools, it's vital that the learning process continue. Project SERV provides districts and institutions of higher learning with resources to help respond in a timely manner," Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, says. (USDofE)

Most of this money is going to either paying for counseling, hiring counselors or other therapy-related expenditures. One of the school superintendents says that the money "will be helpful for our community." Well, money is always helpful. But is this money well-spent?

In other words, is it the purpose of education to provide psychological therapy to teachers and students on the tax-payer dime? This strikes me as yet another instance where public schools are trying to supplant the extra-curricular education-responsibilities of families, friends and communities.

Since the Department of Education began this programming in 2001, they have awarded more than $27.4 million dollars in taxpayer money. I wonder if there has ever been a study done to see how effectively this money has been spent.

It's certainly interesting that the DofE mentions how much money it has spent on trying to prevent the very thing they are about to spend ... more money trying to prevent.

Related: APIA action item on Kevin Jennings.

Tim Graham at News Busters points out that for the first time, a major network has featured an interview with Obama's "safe schools czar" Kevin Jennings in a segment:

The networks ignored Jennings' controversial record -- how he wrote about counseling a teenaged boy to use a condom before meeting an adult man in a bus stop restroom, and how his group the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) counseled high school students in dangerous sexual techniques like "fisting." But Saturday's NBC Nightly News publicized him in a Jeff Rossen story on bullying and the teen suicide of Phoebe Prince.

Jennings is only given a brief comment:

"What keeps me up at night, and everyone in the U.S. Department of Education, is the idea that out there there are children who'd rather die than go to school."

It's becoming apparent why Jennings hasn't received much airtime since being installed in his position - he's a very poor interviewer. His one-line contribution to the debate is nothing except inflammatory and hyperbole.

First of all, it is not the duty of everyone in the USDE to ensure that children would rather not die than go to school. It simply isn't.

Second, if Mr. Jennings is so worried about children of being terrified of going to school, why has he spent the vast majority of his career in focusing against orientation-based discrimination (which played no role in the events he was asked to comment about)?

Of the many reasons children may be scared to attend school, real or perceived orientation discrimination is hardly exhaustive. Why is Jennings so little concerned over their plight?

The most amazing thing about this story, however, is what Jennings is currently championing to solve the "problem" he believes exists in public schools with orientation-based harassment: hundreds of millions of dollars into a new anti-bullying program.

Does he honestly think the problems we see in the education department today will be alleviated by huge expenditures of money to create programming that focuses on orientation discrimination?

That's the sort of question that keeps me up at night.

Related: APIA action item on Kevin Jennings.

Kevin Jennings continues to avoid responding to the legitimate questions posed about his agenda for public eduction, and continues to avoid any opportunity to be transparent about it:

Kevin Jennings, a leading gay activist and President Obama's "Safe Schools" Czar, dodged a question on whether the federal government should promote homosexuality as moral in public schools earlier this week. Instead, the embattled czar, who was the founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), emphasized the limit of the government's authority on school curriculum.

When CNSNews.com asked Jennings, following a speech to teachers at the National Press Club Monday, about “issues raised by congressional Republicans" about his background, he replied, “I’m not going to talk about that. Thank you. … You can ask what you want, but I’m probably not going to answer it.” (LSN)

American Principles in Action Calls on Senate to Reject Federal Meddling in Private Education

Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4247, "Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act."  Under this act, any public or private school that receives federal funding would have to obtain a state clearance certifying that they are handling issues relating to restraint and seclusion according to new federal standards.

While acknowledging that preventing harmful restraint and seclusion is noble, Andresen Blom, the Executive Director of American Principles in Action, indicated that the expansion of federal regulations is deeply misguided:

"With radicals like Kevin Jennings being given powerful positions in the Department of Education, the last thing Americans need in the clumsy hands of the federal government is our private and religious schools.  80% of Catholic parochial schools as well as a large number of independent private schools accept some form of funding from the federal government.  Americans do not pay their hard-earned money to private schools in order to subject them to burdensome and subjective regulations written by unelected federal and state bureaucrats. This is nothing less than another egregious federal power grab that intrudes on private and religious education."

American Principles in Action calls upon the Senate to reject S. 2860, sponsored by Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), which is the Senate version of the same legislation.

Find out more at: www.americanprinciplesinaction.org/

Some websites and blogs are trying to make a big deal today about the fact that Obama (they claimed) brought a teleprompter with him for his visit to a 6th-grade classroom.

Other news sites have since clarified that Obama, while he did use the teleprompter in a separate event where he made some brief comments to the news media...

... did not actually use the teleprompter during his chat with the schoolkids:

Something that no one else is taking about, however, is the absence of Kevin Jennings, Obama's so-called "safe schools czar" from Obama's visit with schoolkids and subsequent press conference, and frankly - from every education event Obama has ever held.

If the Department of Education is really as proud of Jenings' appointment and record as they have claimed in the past, why are they hiding him from practically all possible public appearances?

Is it possible the administration is trying their best to do damage control, and that's why the "safe-schools czar," since his appointment, has undertaken a perfect disappearing act from the public eye?

If Kevin Jennings' notable absense troubles you please visit www.expeljennings.org

Photo credit: Getty

Expert Helen Alvare, Senior fellow in law at the Culture of Life foundation, writes about Kevin Jennings and the recent revelations about his organization GLSEN:

Every presidential administration in Washington DC does some things that appear stupid in hindsight.  It gets caught up in the moment, pandering to this or that political constituency, or reacting too precipitously to some big or newsworthy event.  In our 24-hour-news-cycle world, and especially if we’re sophisticated news consumers, we simply discount the importance of poor presidential decisions and move on, even as we might grow incrementally more cynical over time about government in general.

The banality, even inevitability of yet another misstep out of Washington, however, shouldn’t be allowed to stifle our sense of outrage when it’s warranted.  Or our energy to pick up a pen or a phone and make a call to the White House to demand the restoration of sense and dignity and even “decency” to our federal government.

The events prompting me to write these words are the series of revelations emerging about the past work of President Obama’s “safe schoolsczar.” 

... Before asking you to call or write to President Obama to express your view on this matter, several aspects of this mess should be highlighted in order to help you penetrate (and sometimes prevent) some of the most irrational or harmful enterprises launched by your government.

[You may read her full article here.]

[Her article has also been picked-up by the international news wire service Zenit.]

Please also visit our action site http://www.expeljennings.com and our related Facebook page (now approaching 2,700 members strong!).

The latest round of revelations about the sorts of things done by Kevin Jennings' organization GLSEN really do defy belief.

Because of the obscene nature of this material, decent people may wonder why we are even discussing them. The simple reason is that our children are at risk of being exposed to these things, so as conscientious parents and decent people we must expose these before their innocence is threatened.

Here is the latest update from Mass Resistance:

The infamous “fistgate” conference in 2000 -- run by Obama's “Safe Schools” czar Kevin Jennings and which included kids as young as 12 -- didn’t end with the horrible tape recordings of workshops where children were taught about homosexual sexual practices. There were also hideous handouts given to kids at that conference. (About 200 young teens and 300 adults attended the event.)

... What you are about to see is extremely disturbing.  But it's happening in your schools. And it’s a window into the mindset of Kevin Jennings and the homosexual activists targeting children. (Many of these were first discussed by Brian Camenker and Scott Whiteman in 2000 in media interviews, and were also described by the "veteran teacher" in the Massachusetts News article in 2000.) Now that people across the country are finally paying more attention, we're publishing them. They are truly beyond belief.

You may view the materials here (WARNING: The pages linked to are very disturbing.)

If you think this sort of thing is completely innappropriate, and that parents deserve answers from Keving Jennings and his organization GLSEN, please visit our action page and join our dedicated Facebook group (now with over 2,400 members!). And help us spread the word.

You'll find the latest on Obama's so-called "Safe Schools Czar" Kevin Jennings below, taken from across the web.

Please don't forget to visit http://www.ExpelJennings.com to contact your Senator, and join our Facebook group (now with over 1,700 members!).

Americans are passionate about preserving the innocence of their kids, and they will not quietly stand by when some try to harm them. Thank you for taking a stand on this most fundamental of issues.

And now the update....

• The Left's Corruption of Youth - Robin of Berkeley at American Thinker
• Dr. Janice Crouse says "Kevin Jennings Must Go"
• Making Schools Safe for Exploitation - Bob Weir at American Thinker
• WND reports that Teachers [were] given professional credit for 'Fistgate'
• Robert Knight writes on "How to Defend an Indefensible “Safe Schools Czar”
• The latest from BigGovernment.com on Jennings
• Charles Winecoff writes on Jennings and his chief public defender Media Matters

The pressure continues to mount against Obama's so-called "safe schools czar." This is happening in the face of continued inaction on the part of the President, and silence from Jennings himself.

Today, Rep. Steve King renewed his call for Obama to fire Jennings, as reported by The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:

The conservative lawmaker penned a letter to Obama to express his disappointment that the administration did not respond to his first letter in October. The previous letternwas co-signed by 52 other GOP lawmakers and called for Jennings' ouster.

King also refers to a resolution introduced by a Republican congressman pushing for the czar's resignation. [APP blogged that story here.]

"I am disappointed that concerned Members of Congress have been forced to resort to legislative action as a result of your unwillingness to act on this important matter," King wrote.

Jordan Fabian has a copy of Rep. King's full letter here.

This morning, Jim Hoft at BigGovernment.com published the text and signatures of our APIA coalition letter demanding that the Senate H.E.L.P. Committee fire Jennings.

Also, today MassResistance.org has published claims that Jennings is the original author of the "Heterosexism Questionnaire" which has been "used all over the country since the mid-1990's."

If all of these allegations against Jennings are false, why has he refused to deny any of them?

Today our sister organization American Principles in Action delivered this letter to the offices of Senators on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

This committee has oversight over the Department of Education which employs Kevin Jennings. The coalition letter we delivered to them was signed by eleven other organizations.

You are welcome to learn more about Kevin Jennings at http://www.expeljennings.org/

Also, our "Expel Kevin Jennings" Facebook group has over 1,200 members!

Maxim Lott at Fox News picks up on some of the most recent controversies surrounding Obama's so-called "safe schools czar" Kevin Jennings:

President Obama's "Safe Schools Czar," already a target of social conservatives for his past drug abuse and what they say is his promotion of homosexuality in schools, is under fresh attack after it was revealed that the pro-gay group he formerly headed recommends books his critics say are pornographic.

The group under fire is the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which Kevin Jennings, now the assistant deputy secretary for safe and drug-free schools in the Department of Education, founded and ran from 1990 to 2008.

GLSEN says it works to create a welcoming atmosphere for homosexual students in schools, and that effort includes recommending books for students of all ages.

But critics say many of the books, particularly some that are targeted for children between Grades 7 to 12, are inappropriately explicit. A full list is available at the blog Gateway Pundit, which has published dozens of controversial passages from the books.

You can find APP's reporting on Kevin Jennings at this tag.

Our "Expel Kevin Jennings!" Facebook group has almost 1,200 members now.

A press release from the top republican on the House Education and Labor Committee:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. John Kline (R-MN) ... today repeated his call for the Obama Administration to immediately remove Kevin Jennings from his post as the top politically appointed official responsible for keeping America’s schools safe and drug free. Media reports have surfaced in recent days bringing to light numerous examples of Jennings’ lack of judgment, including his affiliation with organizations and events that have come under fire for promoting sexual activity among children. Jennings was not confirmed to his post by the U.S. Senate, leaving his appointment solely at the discretion of Administration officials.

“It has been clear for months that Mr. Jennings demonstrates neither the judgment nor the responsibility to effectively serve in this post. He has no professional experience that qualifies him as an expert on keeping our children safe and free from drugs; indeed, news accounts have documented a track record that puts children in danger, whether it’s Mr. Jennings’ failure to report the sexual abuse of a student or his association with events that promote promiscuity among children,” said Kline. “I don’t know what more this Administration needs to see. The evidence is clear, and mounting. Kevin Jennings is the wrong individual to entrust with the safety of our schools, and he should immediately be removed from office.”

Earlier this week Rep. Michael Burgess used time on the floor of the House of Representatives to call for the administration to immediately fire Kevin Jennings.

We posted video of his speech here.

This is also, of course, our own efforts at American Principles in Action here:

http://www.expeljennings.com

Michelle Malkin: "Safe School Czar Kevin Jennings' Perverse Reading List for School Children"

Via Hot Air, which has more on this story.

Our posts on Jennings here. Take action on Jennings here.

A video from Michael Burgess:

Rep. Burgess delivers a 1-minute speech calling on the Obama Administration to immediately fire the so-called "Safe Schools" Czar Kevin Jennings, calling him "dangerous for our schoolchildren."

Tony Romm reports on the Burgess action on The Hill.

Through the efforts of the ACORN-crackers at BigGovernment.com (and BigHollywood), the Drudge Report is today highlighting their latest expose on Obama's so-called "Safe Schools Czar":

[Kevin Jennings] was the keynote speaker at the GLSEN/Boston Conference at Tufts University in 2000. High school students at the conference learned about fisting and watersports from the GLSEN activists. Jennings is seen here holding the conference program. (Via Mass Resistance)

Unfortunately for GLSEN, undercover journalists with Mass Resistance recorded these outrageous sessions at Tufts University. The audio was later leaked to a local radio station. This created such an uproar that GLSEN leaders were forced to apologize for their disgusting behavior.

Despite the controversy, Barack Obama’s Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings and his GLSEN organization did nothing to clean up their act. In fact in 2001 activists handed out “fisting kits” to the children and teachers who attended the GLSEN conference.
But that’s not all. The children who attended Kevin Jennnings’ 2005 GLSEN Conference also left with their own “Little Black Book – Queer in the 21st Century”.

You may read more at BigGovernment (warning: mature graphic content).

With these new, outrageous revelations coming to light, we are urging concerned citizens to contact their Senators and join our coalition efforts (please email "info [at] americanprinciplesproject [dot] org" to find out more).

The Washington Times, meanwhile, continues to ask tough questions:

It is curious why White House officials and Education Secretary Arne Duncan believe it's worth it politically to continue taking arrows for defending Kevin Jennings, who is Mr. Obama's controversial "safe schools czar." The evidence suggesting he is unfit to serve as a senior presidential appointee is startling and plentiful.

We are already at a point where the  amount of disturbing information about Kevin Jennings demands that those in authority pursue hearings and/or disciplinary action against him.

Kevin Jennings, Obama's so-called "Safe Schools Czar" is back in the news today.

Big Government, which recently exposed ACORN, makes the case that Kevin Jennings knew about the infamous 2000 "Fistgate" and did nothing to prevent "Fistgate II" from taking place in 2001. The sorts of things done in these GLSEN-sponsored events cannot be explained without going into graphic detail.

Meanwhile, Gateway Pundit has published a list of the inappropriate materials that GLSEN promotes to kids. Again, even more shocking revelations.

The Washington Times has summarized some of the same offensive materials discovered by Gateway Pundit.

Our sister organization American Principles in Action is attempting to gather names for a coalition letter to be sent to the members of the Senate Education Committee, demanding that Jennings be fired.

If your organization is interested in participating in this letter please contact "info [at] americanprinciplesproject [dot] org."

The Ruth Institute has published an analysis written by the respected psychologist Tracye Hansen, Ph.D. about the decision of the Alameda Unified School Board to adopt a new curriculum for K-12 that would "promote acceptance and normalization of homosexual and transgender behaviors under the guise of anti-bullying."

As Dr. Hansen writes, "A group of concerned parents asked me to review and comment on the proposed curriculum and its impact on children. Despite the evidence of potential harm, and over the strong objections of many parents, the board adopted the proposed curriculum."

Dr. Hansen on the curriculum pushed by Kevin Jenning's group GLSEN:

The proposed curriculum will cause sexual confusion and may disrupt the sexual preference and gender identity development of some children. And it’s also completely unnecessary. Anti-harassment, teasing, and bullying curriculums can be taught without specifically identifying every circumstance in which such behaviors are unacceptable. Children should be taught that ridiculing and harassing others for any reason is cruel and unkind and will be swiftly and appropriately punished. Schools can teach a simple message of zero tolerance toward such behaviors without harming children whose sexual preferences and gender identities are still developing.

You can read the entirety of Dr. Hansen's professional opinion here.

Dr. Hansen's research agrees with what the American Principles Project has discovered and is attempting to make parents aware of through our Preserve Innocence project.

The second installment of our Preserve Innocence project is now online. It focus on the activity of Kevin Jennings and the efforts of his organization GLSEN.

Here is the executive summary (the entire report can be found here):

The October 2009 Innocence Report focuses on the use of Safe Schools programs to achieve certain non-heterosexual (i.e., lesbian, bi-sexual, gay and trans-sexual) social and political agenda.  Kevin Jennings --the founder of The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and presently the Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education-- pioneered that tactic in Massachusetts the 1990s.  Now, several school districts have implemented or are in the process of testing Safe-School programs based on that model.  In addition, several other advocacy groups have developed similar programs.

The GLSEN model suffers from several defects.  It is deceptive in that its dominant purpose is not school safety but to propagate acceptance and affirmative support for LBGT lifestyles.  It often denigrates the dignity of students by asking them to reveal deeply personal experiences or views.  And it interferes with the associative rights of parents to direct the spiritual and values formation of their children; it raises concepts to children that go to the heart of the family and that include fundamental religious views, and it does this far before parents could reasonably be expected to have introduced such concepts to their children.

GLSEN has been highly effective in propagating its views.  In varying degrees, it has garnered the support or acknowledgement of much of the relevant professional elite.  Professional teachers, school administrator and counseling organizations have endorsed one or more GLSEN programs or initiatives.  It has laid an imposing infrastructure for its future and continuing activities --an infrastructure that has all the more elite heft with its founder now in a senior position at the U.S. Department of Education.

Please help us spread the word about this important project to preserve the innocence of our kids in school, as well as the rights of their parents.

Ben Anderson recently sent a letter to his congressman (Eric Massa - D, NY29) about Kevin Jennings using our APIA "Expel Jennings" action site.

Here is the letter Mr. Anderson received back from his representative - I've number the paragraphs for clarity:

1) Thank you for contacting me to express your concern with the appointment of Kevin Jennings to the position of Deputy Secretary for the office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. Mr. Jennings' role is to ensure that all students in America can get an education free from bullying, and I stand by this position and the actions needed to support this goal, including the input and guidance of local school boards.

2) I do not condone the mistakes that Mr. Jennings made when he was a teenager. That being said, I do believe that past mistakes should not disqualify one from a position of power-in fact, I can name many prominent public and private figures that have either tried or struggled with drugs and alcohol and gone onto significant and dignified careers of public service.

3) Additionally, for gay and lesbian students, I feel they are entitled to the same basic human right of pursuing an education, free from harassment or bullying in a classroom environment.

4) I will closely monitor the job Mr. Jennings is doing and I will urge his removal if he is behaving irresponsibly.

Sincerely,

Eric J.J. Massa

I have some responses to make to each paragraph:

1. Jennings is charged not just with safe schools, but drug-free ones, and yet Jennings has never apologized for his own admitted recreational drug use. And I disagree that Jennings is even fit to ensure that schools are safe (continue reading).
2. The issue here is not only what Jennings has done in the past, but how he has not even accounted for his past actions in the present. He has only expressed that he wished he had done things differently. Well, what things would he do differently now? Considering he has the responsibility of setting up policies for teachers, he should be able to articulate this policy to us clearly. And yet he maintains a stony silence.
3. I absolutely agree with this statement, but unfortunately the methods that Jennings has chosen to pursue this worthy aim are completely unacceptable and only result in children being taught inappropriate things that violate their innocence.
4. This is a most unsatisfying conclusion because Jennings has already proven himself to have behaved irresponsibly and we here at APP have been detailing at length the policies which he has made his legacy at GLSEN that clearly reveal his "philosophy". Jennings already has proven himself to be an unacceptable choice for his office.

It is good to see, however, that Rep. Massa will be monitoring Jennings closely. 

But what does it say when you have to "closely monitor" the individual who is himself charged with closely monitoring the schools?!

You may wish to join our Facebook group to protect kids from Kevin Jennings' plans - the group has almost 500 members now!

We encourage you to write about Kevin Jennings yourself! Please help us spread the word.