DAVID L. BOYD, TRUSTEE, DISTRICT 2, ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 25, 2016
Contact: David L. Boyd, (714) 708-0723, Ext 313 boyd@taftu.edu
OCBE Trustee Requests Investigation into Anti-Gay Slurs
COSTA MESA, CA. – David L. Boyd, a Trustee serving on the Orange County Board of Education, will request at the May meeting of the Board a briefing by legal counsel on what constitutes a hostile work environment as well as an investigation into the conduct of another trustee.
This request is a result of an e-mail written by Trustee Robert Hammond in April 2014 to an employee of the Orange County Department of Education where Hammond wrote “I hope you don’t mind, but I plan on asking you about your sexual orientation publicly during our next board meeting.” The email was recently made public as a result of a public records request.
In another e-mail obtained through the public records request, Mr. Hammond referred to gays as “sodomites.”
Boyd said that he plans to request the Superintendent begin an investigation in an effort to determine the scope of the problem. The Constitution of the United States guarantees a right of privacy to all citizens and various statutes provide even greater protections to employees.
“To my knowledge,” Boyd commented, “no lawsuits have been filed related to Mr. Hammond’s conduct but the Board and the Department need to get ahead of this problem before it becomes a liability. But more importantly, we need to insure that all of our employees are treated with the respect that they deserve.”
“To ask any employee about their sexual orientation, either in private or in public is a wildly inappropriate and outrageous violation of their right to privacy,” said Laura Kanter, the Director of Policy, Advocacy and Youth Programs for the LGBT Center OC in Santa Ana. “We believe this type of behavior is reprehensible. Trustee Hammond’s ignorance and threatening behavior create an unsafe and hostile work environment for other Board Members and OCDE employees that impacts the entire community and especially our students.”
Robert Hammond and Michelle Bachman
“This is someone who is making far-reaching decisions about the education of Orange County’s youth and his behavior demonstrates that he is unfit to do so without bias,” Kanter concluded. “Mr. Hammond’s tone is alienating to multiple groups, not only the LGBT community. This undermines trust in the community and the efficacy of the County Board of Education.”
David L. Boyd is serving his second term on the Orange County Board of Education representing Cypress, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Westminster, and portions of Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley and Garden Grove.
Taken completely out of context and ginned up to cause problems. Robert was referring to the discomfort of asking the question, that a survey that HAD been circulated did. Robert’s question was to make it clear that it was an uncomfortable question that shouldn’t be asked! The framing of his actions in any other way is a lie.
He is known for his nutty tea party politics.
Typical progressive, when you can’t make a case, change the subject… Just because Robert is honest, asks questions you can’t easily answer, holds people accountable for their actions, you think he’s nutty. He’s a lot more honest than you will ever be Mr Boyd.
Being a homophobe is not very attracted to the voters anymore.
When dealing with children, there are both legal and moral responsibilities that MUST be considered. Robert has his personal beliefs, but he’s certainly NOT homophobic! For you to outright lie about that is reprehensible, period!
There IS however an agenda that is being put forth by several groups to attempt to lead children to non traditional sexual viewpoints, when OCBE is legally and morally obligated to deal with children in an asexual manner. As parents we are obligated to teach our children and protect them. Robert understands that from both points of view, Seemingly you don’t!
Teachers and administrators are being mandated, by politically driven agendas, from legislators, to educate AND indoctrinate our children in an increasingly collectivist, educational experience. NOT to think critically, NOT to make their own choices and learn from them, NOT to argue, debate and learn from that. Todays agenda, within the state educational system is teaching to pass tests, regurgitate what’s being put forth without discussion, or dissent. That is increasingly the case when the lessons are factually in error, historically inaccurate or opinion foisted as fact. Which happens every day in our public schools, right now. Why many of us support charter schools. This is perhaps the real reason why Robert is catching hell from you and your union buddies?
• Truth invites question!
Then there is the economic responsibilities of public administration over a large publicly funded organization. Knowing that the union has targeted Robert for some reason, that you are now trying to besmirch his good name and honor, I suspect that it has more to do with economics than quality of education, your progressive agenda isn’t far behind that, nor probable votes that follow along with union cronyism….but then that’s just my opinion.
Our opinion is that he must go. And hopefully that will be his fate on Election Day.
“Our” opinion? Is that like the Royal we?
That shows a little more about your personality than I think you wanted out there. Think your better than everyone else do you?
No. But the issue here is a bigoted Trustee who must go!
big·ot·ed
ˈbiɡədəd/
adjective
1. having or revealing an obstinate belief in the superiority of one’s own opinions and a prejudiced intolerance of the opinions of others.
Seems you’ve illustrated that characteristic very well…
You’ve also illustrated;
prej·u·dice
ˈprejədəs/
noun
1. an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
LOL. Let’s see what the voters make of your gay bashing amigo..