Hmmm…Updated

Well, I learned a couple of things about the NYC school (see below). Enrollment is not limited to homosexuals. Here’s an excerpt from their mission statement:

The Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI) believes all young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential. HMI creates this environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth between the ages of 12 and 21 and their families. Through a comprehensive package of direct services and referrals, HMI seeks to foster healthy youth development. HMI’s staff promotes excellence in the delivery of youth services and uses its expertise to create innovative programs that other organizations may use as models.

Ok, great. If they’re trying to foster a supportive environment, I think that is fantastic. But then why include any mention of homosexuality? Again, this just seems like a way to solve one problem (homosexuals getting mistreated in public schools) with something that’s going to cause more problems.

I really want to stress that I think this should be, as described in the mission statement, a private school. Public schools should be just that — public. Open to anyone. There are exceptions to that, though. The Pittsburgh school system has the concept of magnet schools — academically rigorous schools that don’t limit enrollment based on geographic location. If you’re smart enough, you can go there regardless of what ward you live in. But…..anyone from the ward where the magnet school is located is still accepted, regardless of academic standing. There’s also special education units, but is this special treatment? These kids have physical problems that prevent them from learning in the same manner as everyone else. They would lilkely fail out of the typical public high school.