The
superintendent
of
schools
in
Lexington,
Mass.,
said
it
all
started
when
two
first-grade
boys
argued
over
who
should
sit
where
in
the
cafeteria.
One
of
them
punched
the
other
several
times
on
the
playground
while
at
least
five
children
stood
by
and
watched,
the
superintendent
said.
But
according
to
a
Massachusetts
group
that
opposes
gay
rights,
a
band
of
first-graders
singled
out
7-year-old
Jacob
Parker
for
a
schoolyard
“beating”
in
retaliation
for
his
father’s
campaign
to
stop
Estabrook
Elementary
School
from
including
information
about
same-sex
parents
in
its
curriculum.
The
May
17
incident
was
triggered
by
a
climate
of
anti-conservative
hate
created
by
those
who
support
gay
marriage
and
the
teaching
of
homosexuality
in
the
schools,
the
group
Mass
Resistance
said.
“He
was
taken
around
the
corner
of
the
school
building
out
of
sight
of
the
patrolling
aides,
with
the
taunting
and
encouragement
of
other
kids,”
Mass
Resistance
said
in
a
statement
on
its
website.
“Jacob
was
then
positioned
against
the
wall
for
what
appeared
to
be
a
well-planned
and
coordinated
assault.”
Mass
Resistance
insisted
in
its
statement
that
it
was
not
a
coincidence
that
the
May
17
incident
took
place
on
the
anniversary
of
the
legal
recognition
of
same-sex
marriage
in
Massachusetts.
Lexington
school
superintendent
Paul
B.
Ash
disputed
the
Mass
Resistance
account,
saying
a
thorough
investigation
conducted
by
the
school’s
principal
showed
the
incident
stemmed
from
a
squabble
over
cafeteria
seating
that
continued
during
an
outdoor
recess
period.
“These
were
two
first-graders
having
a
child
squabble
on
a
playground,”
Ash
told
the
Boston
Globe.
“Some
adults
are
exploiting
these
children
for
political
purposes.”
Meg
Soens,
co-chair
of
Lexington
Cares,
a
group
that
supports
teaching
children
about
family
diversity,
including
households
headed
by
same-sex
parents,
said
David
Parker,
Jacob’s
father,
appeared
to
be
using
the
playground
incident
as
a
“publicity
stunt”
to
promote
a
lawsuit
he
filed
against
the
school
system.
Last
year,
David
Parker
sued
the
Lexington
school
district
to
contest
its
refusal
to
allow
him
to
remove
his
son
from
class
whenever
the
subject
of
homosexuality
or
same-sex
parents
is
discussed.
Parker
charged
that
the
school
district
is
required
under
state
law
to
put
in
place
an
“opt
out”
policy
for
subjects
related
to
human
sexuality.
School
officials
dispute
this
claim.
They
have
said
allowing
parents
to
remove
their
kids
from
class
during
discussion
of
alternative
family
arrangements
would
stigmatize
kids
with
same-sex
parents.
In
a
widely
publicized
dispute
with
school
officials,
Parker
refused
to
leave
Estabrook
Elementary
School
last
year
following
a
meeting
with
officials
over
his
opt-out
proposal.
Police
arrested
him
for
trespassing
at
school
closing
time
when
he
said
he
would
remain
inside
the
building
until
the
school
agreed
to
his
demands
over
the
curriculum
dispute.
‘Where
are
the
candlelight
vigils’?
Mass
Resistance
President
Brian
Camenker
has
said
the
children
at
the
school
were
aware
of
David
Parker’s
views
and
his
arrest,
and
this
created
a
hostile
atmosphere
in
the
liberal-leaning
Lexington
community
that
played
a
role
in
the
assault
of
Jacob
Parker.
Mass
Resistance’s
account,
which
it
said
came
largely
from
David
Parker,
was
quickly
picked
up
by
the
websites
of
national
anti-gay
groups,
including
the
Traditional
Values
Coalition,
the
American
Family
Association,
and
Concerned
Women
for
America.
In
an
e-mail
alert
sent
to
its
members,
Traditional
Values
Coalition
head
Lou
Sheldon
denounced
gay
activists
and
“liberal
journalists”
for
not
reacting
with
outrage
over
what
he
called
a
hate-motivated
crime.
“Where
are
the
candlelight
vigils
on
behalf
of
his
son?”
asked
Sheldon,
who
called
on
supporters
to
send
money
to
help
David
Parker
finance
his
lawsuit.
Ash
said
in
a
June
16
statement
that
the
Estabrook
principal
conducted
an
investigation
into
the
assault
of
Jacob
Parker
that
included
interviews
with
more
than
a
dozen
students
and
an
adult
school
aide
who
stepped
in
to
break
up
the
altercation.
He
said
the
investigation
found
that
several
first-grade
students
became
involved
in
a
disagreement
over
who
would
sit
next
to
whom
in
the
cafeteria.
The
dispute
spilled
outside
into
the
schoolyard,
where
one
student
took
Jacob
by
the
hand
and
brought
him
to
another
student
in
an
area
“that
is
somewhat
difficult
for
the
adults
to
see,”
Ash
said.
The
second
student
hit
Jacob
two
to
four
times
in
the
chest
or
abdomen,
Ash
said.
The
superintendent
said
at
least
five
other
students
stood
nearby
watching
but
did
not
participate
in
the
assault.
“The
child
who
was
hit
said
he
was
not
hurt
and
did
not
want
to
go
to
the
nurse,”
Ash
said
in
his
statement.
“He
reported
that
his
feelings
were
hurt
because
the
child
who
hit
him
was
his
...
