I am the Director of an Alternative Junior High School in New York City. The school has a very diverse student population not only in term of race and ethnicity but also of lifestyles. Some of the students come from the community, which is a mix of Latinos and African Americans. There is also a small but growing number of white students who are referred to by the locals as 'pioneers' because they are part of a large group of white residents who are returning to city after living in the suburbs. In total, about half of the students come from outside the community. They are bused in, driven here by their parents or come by bus or train. The majority of the students come from lower middle income homes with working parents. There are a number of families who could live in "better neighborhoods" somewhere else but who prefer the hustle and bustle of Manhattan and the rich artistic and cultural life that the students can benefit from in particular.

Most of the teachers in our school are older, tenured teachers who provide a competent permanent teaching force. The relationship between the administration, the teachers, students and parents has always been one of cooperation to maintain and improve the quality of education provided. Teachers are treated as professionals who make a number of judgments about the curriculum which might not be made in the same way in other places. We have a fairly flat structure in terms of hierarchy and we deal with each other as colleagues. Parents are encouraged to visit the school and to sit in on classes whenever they wish. There is an active Parents Teachers Association which meets once a month. There are several fund raising activities throughout the year in which parents and teachers work together diligently in a family like atmosphere.

One of the more active teachers in our school is a male who is an out-of-the-closet homosexual. Like most people who teach and are gay, he does not flaunt his sexual orientation although he makes no effort to keep it secret. It is, however, a private issue for most of us and we do not often discuss the topic with each other much less with students. For educators, this seems to be a public thing that is rarely discussed in the workplace. Little of this escapes the notice of students and it is usually not an issue for them that a teacher is gay or lesbian.

This particular man has been teaching chemistry at the school for ten years. Due to the recent emphasis placed on science and math, he organized a science and math club. He is a gifted and creative teacher who comes up with effective, yet fun ways to teach the material. He volunteered after school hours to tutor those students that need help with science and math. The members of the club and those that avail themselves for tutoring are both male and female students. He wrote a funding proposal and was able to obtain funding for the purchase of twenty five computers that are utilized in the science and math labs. He has been a great help to many.

Six weeks ago a mother, at the insistence of her husband, came to see me and stated that her son, a fourteen year old, had started "hanging out" in Greenwich Village. She stated that the gay teacher had been mentioned in the course of conversations with her son and his friends. The boy's father, a lieutenant for the New York City Police Department and a law student, is enraged. He is demanding that this friendship between his son and the teacher be investigated by my office.

I held a conference with the teacher and he stated that he had neither invited the young student to Greenwich Village, nor encouraged him to go. The teacher lives in the Village. He stated that he had seen this student in the neighborhood on several occasions. However, except for one afternoon when they watched a playground basketball game together, their encounters outside of the school had been brief, usually limited to a wave of the hand and a greeting. The student belongs to the science club, and has also taken part in the teacher's special tutoring sessions.

I had a conference with the student, and he stated that he goes to Greenwich Village because he gets bored staying home. He was visibly upset that his parents had broached the subject with me. He accused his father of being a bigoted homophobic who practices "more catechism than the pope." As a police officer, he feels that his father has no respect for gay people. The student maintained that the teacher is just a nice guy with whom he feels he can communicate because this teacher understands teenagers. He was not concerned about the teachers' sexual preference.

The boy's father has now gotten some of the parents from the PTA to complain to me about the teacher. Several of these parents have come in to demand that the teacher be prohibited from seeing students outside school hours. One parent mentioned that the father has done some investigating, and has discovered that the teacher's live-in partner is a man about fifteen years his junior. The parents are disturbed, and the confusion surrounding this issue has caused a split in the Parents Teachers Association. As a consequence of the disagreements among the PTA leadership, all planning for fund raising has ceased, and all social and parent functions have been postponed until things settle down. I am in a very difficult position.

1. How should the principal proceed?
2. How legitimate are the concerns of the parents?
3. How can all parties be appeased?
4. What should the teacher do?
5. What are the legal implications of this case?