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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mix saw thousands of dollars go down the drain when water didn't ... Fake grass offers real water savings ... Hosler Dam siren test due Monday ... Mix saw thousands of dollars go down the drain when water didn't ... Fake grass offers real water savings ... Hosler Dam siren test due Monday ... OUR VIEW Our View: Spelling out safety Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Are we concerned that the Ashland School District received only a bronze star in the Oregon Safe Schools & Communities Coalition's annual report for its policies against harassment, intimidation, bullying and cyberbullying? No. Should the district do a better job of stating its policies so it can qualify for a gold star? Sure, but it won't make Ashland students any more protected than they already are. This is a district where the high school last year chose three students as homecoming "royalty" but did not designate a king and queen so as to be gender-neutral. This is a district serving a city that hosts the annual Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrating diversity and inclusion. The district's policy clearly bars discrimination, harassment and bullying based on " race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, marital status or age."   That seems clear enough, but it's not quite complete, according to the coalition. Missing from that list of protected groups are gender identity and gender expression. Elsewhere in the policy, "sexual orientation" is defined to include "gender identity, appearance, expression or behavior." So all the bases are covered, but the coalition wants that information to be clearly stated in the policy, not buried in a related definition. The idea is that a student or parent unfamiliar with the district should be able to read the policy and see that gender identity and expression are clearly included as protected. It never hurts to get it in writing.   DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501