Teacher Wants His Job Back, Program for Gay Students

A former Burbank teacher, one of two who said they were hounded into resigning for being openly gay, demanded before the Burbank school board on Thursday that he be rehired and that the board establish a counseling program for gay students.

Chuck Stewart, 40, who was a science teacher at John Muir Middle School, told the five-member board during its regular meeting that administrators harassed him after he told his students that he was homosexual. He said the attitude of district administrators toward him and the other former teacher, Dale Landefeld, sends a harmful message to gay students.

“When I was open, that’s when I became attacked,” Stewart said. He was applauded by about 15 audience members from Queer Nation, a gay and lesbian activist group that supports Stewart and Landefeld in the dispute with school officials.

“You’re saying to gay students that it’s not all right to be gay, that they’re not a good person. I do not accept that. This situation needs to be solved,” he said.

It was the second appearance in support of the two former teachers by members of Queer Nation, who staged a protest march last month outside the middle school where they taught.

When the two teachers decided last fall to declare their homosexuality, both said they were questioned repeatedly by school administrators about their sexual orientation and how they handled the subject in class. They said that following their disclosures, administrators wrote critical evaluations of them.

District officials have denied that the two teachers were discriminated against because they are gay. School Board President William Abbey said he felt the accusation was a “red herring.”

David Aponik, assistant superintendent for personnel services, said both had received evaluations critical of their teaching and that the two had resigned voluntarily after learning that administrators would recommend to the board that they not be rehired for the coming school year.

Stewart demanded that he be rehired to create and administer a Burbank version of “Project 10,” a program in the Los Angeles Unified School District to counsel gay and lesbian youths. The board did not respond to the protest or to Stewart’s remarks.

But one parent in attendance pleaded with the board not to reinstate the two teachers.

“I don’t agree with the gay lifestyle,” said Ron Nichols, who has three children in Burbank schools. “Burbank should not be encouraging this.”