LETTER: Safe Places posters should be put back up

It is a "teachable moment" for school administrators in Rio Rancho who are tearing down signs that make many students feel welcome in their schools. RRPS administrators and school board members mistakenly think posting signs for students to know that a specific room at their school is an especially safe place to report, or to de-stress from, incidents of homophobia on campus helps is inappropriate. They wrap their action in nice wording about safe places for all students.

They are right, school should be a safe place for all, but they could not be more wrong about the impact of their action.

To use a policy designed to protect students from hate and inappropriate behaviors for the purpose of removing a poster that invites any group of students to feel safe at school is itself inappropriate. Doing so is an obvious capitulation to extremists who somehow feel the rainbow colors are offensive or political. There is nothing political about human rights — unless one prefers authoritarian systems where all our beautiful differences are covered up.

By the way, the rainbow colors symbolize that we all have a place in the sunshine! And what’s at the end of the rainbow? A pot of gold to remind us of the golden rule to treat others as we would have them treat us.

Superintendent Cleveland's email explained the tearing down of the Safe Places posters with a wonderful sentiment, inappropriately applied. The superintendent wrote: "We believe all buildings, classrooms, and playgrounds should be safe places," as part of the justification for her action. Specifically inviting students to feel safe in specific places which post that sign does not make other places in school unsafe. It is downright unhealthy to base policy on an implied falsehood: that acknowledging some students do not feel safe is somehow “controversial.” It is not.

Here is the "teachable moment:" all Rio Ranchoans agree all places should be safe, but does any school administrator, student, teacher or other education employee honestly believe that all places in schools are safe for all students? The fact is not all places in our schools are still not free of homophobia, racism, misogyny or other forms of discrimination and hate. It is extremely healthy that the adults in a school openly invite students victimized by such behaviors to feel safe. Schools supporting students who suffer bullying are places that actively discourage those who would do harm to those students from doing so at school.

The rainbow-colored safe places posters should be restored immediately and hopefully in many more places than previously. All students do deserve the help of the "adults" in the room to recognize their social realities encountered by our students and to respond with appropriate care and understanding.

Charles Goodmacher

Rio Rancho, RRPS parent