A local parent is lobbying the Albemarle County School Board to order the removal of the upside- down, rainbow triangle stickers that some high school guidance counselors display outside their offices.
Crozet resident Bill Rossberg, father two Western Albemarle High School students, said he believes the stickers, representing what is commonly considered a symbol of gay pride, have no place in schools.
"Western Albemarle is a really conservative area," Rossberg said. "I was amazed to see this stuff on my daughter's guidance counselor's door."
Rossberg said he and roughly 60 other parents find the stickers inappropriate and in violation of County school board policy.
"If you're going to put one sticker up, you've got to put everyone's sticker up," he said. "There should be some balance."
WAHS Principal Anne Coughlin said the stickers have been up for at least two years and emphasized that they are not displayed outside every counselor's office.
"We want all students to feel comfortable talking to our counselors," Coughlin said. "The triangle represents different things."
Coughlin added that promoting a school environment safe from bullying and harassment is the focus of the school's professional development plan. While the stickers support that goal, they are not part of the initiative.
Rossberg expressed particular concern regarding the influence of former School Board member Mary Rodriguez, who has made a series of presentations to County high schools on support for gay and lesbian students. A member of the local Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Rodriguez also has a son who is gay.
"Mary Rodriguez is going from school to school putting out some of the most far left propaganda I have ever seen," Rossberg said.
Rodriguez defended her efforts to promote understanding of gay and lesbian students as integral for ensuring a safe school zone for all students.
"It is so important for those students to not feel isolated," said Rodriguez, who articulated the need "to let kids know in some way, in spite of the stigma of society, there is someone who will talk to them."
Though Rodriguez said her presentations have been met with positive results, she recognizes the reservations, often religious, occasionally held by teachers and administrators.
"That's fine in their personal lives, but as professionals, we need to be supportive of all our students," she said.
Rossberg criticized the use of the stickers as a violation of School Board policy by introducing material into the Family Life Education curriculum without meeting the required approval of both the Board and the superintendent.
"The superintendent and his assistants have not been very straightforward," Rossberg said. "This is a very politically fractured group."
Rodriguez disagreed.
"There is nothing in the policy that prevents the stickers, and they have no relation to the family life curriculum," she said.
Rossberg questioned the ability of the stickers to create a safe school environment.
"I just don't think they have a good understanding of the adolescent psyche," he said. "Putting up one symbol doesn't do anything to increase tolerance. They're making it worse for these kids."
Coughlin said she has not heard any criticism that the stickers are counterproductive, other than from Rossberg.
"I haven't noticed that being the case while they've been up there," she said.
Rossberg stressed that he is not homophobic.
"It's against my religion to hate anybody," he said. "I'm not trying to say anything bad. Just talking about the whole realm of sexuality is difficult."
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