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| David Parker claims his son was assaulted at a Lexington, Mass., school following a campaign to stop Estabrook Elementary School from including information about same-sex parents in its curriculum. (Photo by Tom Landers/AP) |
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HOME > NEWS > NATIONAL NEWS
By: LOU CHIBBARO JR
COMMENTS |
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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 ...
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