State PTA Calls for Harassment-Free Zones

By Herald Staff

The Florida PTA is calling for the state Legislature to pass a resolution - championed by the Dade County PTA - that would declare ``harassment-free zones'' in public schools for students, including gay and lesbian youth.

Gay youngsters account for 30 percent of all teen suicides and, 28 percent of all dropouts, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The resolution, passed at the Florida PTA's annual conference this month in Jacksonville, was first proposed by Project YES of Miami and the Dade County Council of PTA/PTSA. It failed at the 2000 convention, but the resolution was revived this year by the Miami-Dade and Duval county PTA chapters.