Kevin Jennings
Encyclopedia
Kevin Brett Jennings is an American educator, author, and administrator. He was the Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education from 2009-11. Jennings will be the president and CEO of nonprofit organization Be The Change.
Jennings holds degrees from Harvard University
, Columbia University's Teachers College
, and the Stern School of Business at New York University
. He became a teacher and was named one of fifty "Terrific Teachers Making a Difference" by the Edward Calesa Foundation, he also came out
as gay
to his students. In 1990 he founded the Gay and Lesbian Independent School Teachers Education Network (later changed to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
), which became a leading group seeking to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation
and gender identity
. In 1992 he was named co-chair of the Education Committee of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth in Massachusetts. Jennings has authored six books on gay rights and education, including one which won the Lambda Literary Award
.
. He was the youngest of five children to Chester Henry, an itinerant Southern Baptist preacher
, and Alice Verna (Johnson) Jennings. His family was poor and constantly moved around the South
as his father sought a permanent post. His father died when Kevin was eight and the family was living in a Lewisville, North Carolina
trailer park
. From then on he grew up in a rural atmosphere that was intolerant of African Americans and gay people; several of his cousins and uncles were in the Ku Klux Klan
. He was constantly taunted and bullied. "The first day of 10th grade I actually refused to go back to school because I simply wasn't going to go back to a place where I was bullied every day." He attended Paisley Magnet School
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
where he did well academically, but was beaten by classmates for what they saw as effeminate behavior and attempted suicide after realizing he was gay. After he and his mother moved to Hawaii
he graduated from Radford High School
in Honolulu.
Jennings then attended and received a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in history from Harvard University
, where he delivered the Harvard Oration at the 1985 commencement. He became a high school history teacher, first at Moses Brown School
in Providence, Rhode Island
, from 1985 to 1987, and then at Concord Academy
in Concord, Massachusetts
, from 1987 to 1995, where he was chair of the history department. In 1992 the Edward Calesa Foundation named Jennings one of fifty "Terrific Teachers Making a Difference". Most of his students accepted him when he revealed his sexual identity
after years of keeping it secret.
together with a female student. Jennings then co-founded the Gay and Lesbian Independent School Teacher Network (GLISTeN) in Boston
in 1990, to address the problems facing GLBT students. It held its first conference the following year, when it changed its name to the Gay and Lesbian School Teachers Network (GLSTN). The organization started out as a small local one but gained a strong supportive reaction. In 1992, Jennings was appointed by Governor William Weld
to co-chair the Education Committee of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. He was the principal author of, "Making Schools Safe for Gay & Lesbian Youth", a commission report. The Massachusetts State Board of Education adopted the report as policy in May 1993 and the state became the first in the U.S. to outlaw discrimination of public school students on the basis of sexual orientation
in December 1993.
In 1993, Jennings was named a Joseph Klingenstein Fellow at Columbia University's Teachers College
, from which he received his master's degree in interdisciplinary studies in education in 1994. In 1994 he wrote Becoming Visible: A Reader in Gay & Lesbian History for High School and College Students, the "first book of its kind" for a high school audience. Jennings moved GLSTN to New York to accompany his studying, and decided to make the organization national in scope. In doing so, he also changed its name to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), to give it a broader focus. The organization seeks to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation
and gender identity
. In both 1995 and 1996 Jennings was in Out
magazine's list of "Top 100 Newsmakers and Earthshakers".
In 1997, Newsweek
magazine named Jennings to its "Century Club" of people likely to make a difference in the 21st century. Jennings earned an M.B.A. from New York University
's Stern School of Business in 1999. By that year, GLSEN was headquartered in the Chelsea, Manhattan
neighborhood of New York City
and had a staff of 18 and budget of $2.5 million.
In 1998 he won the Lambda Literary Award
in the Children's/Young Adult category for his book Telling Tales Out of School. He has published six books on gay rights and education. His works have described his own past as a closeted
gay student.
In July 2004, Jennings received the National Education Association (NEA)
's Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights. NEA Republican
Educators Caucus chairwoman Diane Lenning protested the award because—by her reading of a story in Jennings' book One Teacher in 10—she thought he broke Massachusetts law in 1988 by not reporting a sixteen-year-old gay high school student's relationship with an older man. Three days later, the caucus ousted Lenning as chairwoman over her stance against gays, and later that month The Washington Times published a letter from Jennings saying the accusations were hurtful, inaccurate and potentially libelous. CNN
subsequently confirmed that the student was above the age of consent
in Massachusetts and not sexually active. The incident resurfaced in 2009 as part of a social conservatives'
campaign against Jennings' appointment to head the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
Jennings is a lifelong, avid ice hockey
fan, who has played in the New York City Gay Hockey Association. In 2005, he suffered a near-fatal heart attack
after a game, but he recovered and returned to the ice in 2007. In 2008, Jennings spoke out against the practice of homophobic chants from fans at New York Rangers
home games, and stopped his practice of regularly attending their games for about a month. Jennings and the director of the Gay Hockey Association met with officials of the Rangers and Madison Square Garden
but failed to get much action from them.
Jennings stepped down as head of GLSEN as of August 2008. By then, GLSEN had two regional offices and a staff of 40, and there were gay-straight alliance
s in over 3,700 schools registered to GLSEN.
Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan
announced Jennings' appointment as an Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
, starting July 6, 2009 as the third director of the office, which was established in 2002 during the George W. Bush administration
pursuant to the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
.
Social conservative
s campaigned against Jennings' appointment because they alleged he condoned child molestation based on the 2004 incident over a teen's story he related in his book One teacher in 10 : LGBT educators share their stories. The allegations were proven to be false when it was shown the student was above the age of consent
and no sex had occurred. 53 Republican members of the House of Representatives
signed a letter to the Obama administration that called for Jennings' dismissal. Education Secretary Duncan, the White House, the NEA, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals
have supported Jennings' appointment, with Duncan saying Jennings was “uniquely qualified for his job.”
As Assistant Deputy Secretary, Jennings has focused on matters relating to teacher safety, classroom discipline and bullying. His office has awarded safety grants worth millions of dollars. In August 2010 his office hosted the first-ever National Bullying Summit which he helped organize. In September 2010 Jennings became one of the notable members of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (NAASP), a public-private partnership designed to advance and update the 2001 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and an outgrowth of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. The NAASP will initially focus on three high-risk populations; LGBT Youth
, American Indians
/Alaska Natives
, Military/Veteran
s.
On May 19, 2011, the Boston-based nonprofit organization Be the Change, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, announced that Jennings would be resigning his position with the Obama administration and on July 25 he would become President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization.
Jennings holds degrees from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Columbia University's Teachers College
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...
, and the Stern School of Business at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. He became a teacher and was named one of fifty "Terrific Teachers Making a Difference" by the Edward Calesa Foundation, he also came out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
to his students. In 1990 he founded the Gay and Lesbian Independent School Teachers Education Network (later changed to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network is an organization in the United States that seeks to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in K-12 schools. GLSEN is headquartered in New York City and the District of Columbia...
), which became a leading group seeking to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
and gender identity
Gender identity
A gender identity is the way in which an individual self-identifies with a gender category, for example, as being either a man or a woman, or in some cases being neither, which can be distinct from biological sex. Basic gender identity is usually formed by age three and is extremely difficult to...
. In 1992 he was named co-chair of the Education Committee of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth in Massachusetts. Jennings has authored six books on gay rights and education, including one which won the Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
.
Early life and teaching career
Jennings was born in Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
. He was the youngest of five children to Chester Henry, an itinerant Southern Baptist preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
, and Alice Verna (Johnson) Jennings. His family was poor and constantly moved around the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
as his father sought a permanent post. His father died when Kevin was eight and the family was living in a Lewisville, North Carolina
Lewisville, North Carolina
Lewisville is a village in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 12,639 at the 2010 census. It is a Piedmont Triad community.-Geography:Lewisville is located at ....
trailer park
Trailer park
A trailer park is a semi-permanent or permanent area for mobile homes or travel trailers. The main reasons for living in such trailer parks are the often lower cost compared to other housing, and the ability to move to a new area more quickly and easily, for example when changing jobs to another...
. From then on he grew up in a rural atmosphere that was intolerant of African Americans and gay people; several of his cousins and uncles were in the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. He was constantly taunted and bullied. "The first day of 10th grade I actually refused to go back to school because I simply wasn't going to go back to a place where I was bullied every day." He attended Paisley Magnet School
Paisley Magnet School
John W. Paisley Magnet School is a Middle school/High school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is home to the International Baccalaureate Middle Years program for students in grades six through ten. Paisley is a part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools system...
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
where he did well academically, but was beaten by classmates for what they saw as effeminate behavior and attempted suicide after realizing he was gay. After he and his mother moved to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
he graduated from Radford High School
Admiral Arthur W. Radford High School
Admiral Arthur W. Radford High School, known as Radford High School, is a public high school in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, adjacent to the Halawa CDP.-Admiral Arthur W. Radford :...
in Honolulu.
Jennings then attended and received a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in history from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he delivered the Harvard Oration at the 1985 commencement. He became a high school history teacher, first at Moses Brown School
Moses Brown School
Moses Brown School is a Quaker school located in Providence, Rhode Island, founded by Moses Brown, a Quaker abolitionist, in 1784. It is one of the oldest preparatory schools in the country.-Founder:...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, from 1985 to 1987, and then at Concord Academy
Concord Academy
Concord Academy is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory school for grades nine through twelve, located in Concord, Massachusetts...
in Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
, from 1987 to 1995, where he was chair of the history department. In 1992 the Edward Calesa Foundation named Jennings one of fifty "Terrific Teachers Making a Difference". Most of his students accepted him when he revealed his sexual identity
Sexual identity
Sexual identity is a term that, like sex, has two distinctively different meanings. One describes an identity roughly based on sexual orientation, the other an identity based on sexual characteristics, which is not socially based but based on biology, a concept related to, but different from,...
after years of keeping it secret.
GLSEN and writing
While at the Concord Academy in 1988, Jennings started the nations' first gay-straight allianceGay-straight alliance
Gay–straight alliances are student organizations, found primarily in North American high schools and universities, that are intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their straight allies .-Goal:The goal of most, if not all,...
together with a female student. Jennings then co-founded the Gay and Lesbian Independent School Teacher Network (GLISTeN) in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in 1990, to address the problems facing GLBT students. It held its first conference the following year, when it changed its name to the Gay and Lesbian School Teachers Network (GLSTN). The organization started out as a small local one but gained a strong supportive reaction. In 1992, Jennings was appointed by Governor William Weld
William Weld
William Floyd Weld is a former governor of the US state of Massachusetts. He served as that state's 68th governor from 1991 to 1997. From 1981 to 1988, he was a federal prosecutor in the United States Justice Department...
to co-chair the Education Committee of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. He was the principal author of, "Making Schools Safe for Gay & Lesbian Youth", a commission report. The Massachusetts State Board of Education adopted the report as policy in May 1993 and the state became the first in the U.S. to outlaw discrimination of public school students on the basis of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
in December 1993.
In 1993, Jennings was named a Joseph Klingenstein Fellow at Columbia University's Teachers College
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...
, from which he received his master's degree in interdisciplinary studies in education in 1994. In 1994 he wrote Becoming Visible: A Reader in Gay & Lesbian History for High School and College Students, the "first book of its kind" for a high school audience. Jennings moved GLSTN to New York to accompany his studying, and decided to make the organization national in scope. In doing so, he also changed its name to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), to give it a broader focus. The organization seeks to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
and gender identity
Gender identity
A gender identity is the way in which an individual self-identifies with a gender category, for example, as being either a man or a woman, or in some cases being neither, which can be distinct from biological sex. Basic gender identity is usually formed by age three and is extremely difficult to...
. In both 1995 and 1996 Jennings was in Out
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
magazine's list of "Top 100 Newsmakers and Earthshakers".
In 1997, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine named Jennings to its "Century Club" of people likely to make a difference in the 21st century. Jennings earned an M.B.A. from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Stern School of Business in 1999. By that year, GLSEN was headquartered in the Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
neighborhood of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and had a staff of 18 and budget of $2.5 million.
In 1998 he won the Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
in the Children's/Young Adult category for his book Telling Tales Out of School. He has published six books on gay rights and education. His works have described his own past as a closeted
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
gay student.
In July 2004, Jennings received the National Education Association (NEA)
National Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
's Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights. NEA Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Educators Caucus chairwoman Diane Lenning protested the award because—by her reading of a story in Jennings' book One Teacher in 10—she thought he broke Massachusetts law in 1988 by not reporting a sixteen-year-old gay high school student's relationship with an older man. Three days later, the caucus ousted Lenning as chairwoman over her stance against gays, and later that month The Washington Times published a letter from Jennings saying the accusations were hurtful, inaccurate and potentially libelous. CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
subsequently confirmed that the student was above the age of consent
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
in Massachusetts and not sexually active. The incident resurfaced in 2009 as part of a social conservatives'
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
campaign against Jennings' appointment to head the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
Jennings is a lifelong, avid ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
fan, who has played in the New York City Gay Hockey Association. In 2005, he suffered a near-fatal heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
after a game, but he recovered and returned to the ice in 2007. In 2008, Jennings spoke out against the practice of homophobic chants from fans at New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
home games, and stopped his practice of regularly attending their games for about a month. Jennings and the director of the Gay Hockey Association met with officials of the Rangers and Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
but failed to get much action from them.
Jennings stepped down as head of GLSEN as of August 2008. By then, GLSEN had two regional offices and a staff of 40, and there were gay-straight alliance
Gay-straight alliance
Gay–straight alliances are student organizations, found primarily in North American high schools and universities, that are intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their straight allies .-Goal:The goal of most, if not all,...
s in over 3,700 schools registered to GLSEN.
Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools
On May 19, 2009, Obama administrationPresidency of Barack Obama
The Presidency of Barack Obama began at noon EST on January 20, 2009 when he became the 44th President of the United States. Obama was a United States Senator from Illinois at the time of his victory over Arizona Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential election...
Secretary of Education
United States Secretary of Education
The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession...
Arne Duncan
Arne Duncan
Arne Duncan is an American education administrator and currently United States Secretary of Education. Duncan previously served as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools.-Early years and personal:...
announced Jennings' appointment as an Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools
The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools is a subdivision within the United States Department of Education that is responsible for assisting drug and violence prevention activities within the nation's schools....
, starting July 6, 2009 as the third director of the office, which was established in 2002 during the George W. Bush administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
pursuant to the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
.
Social conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
s campaigned against Jennings' appointment because they alleged he condoned child molestation based on the 2004 incident over a teen's story he related in his book One teacher in 10 : LGBT educators share their stories. The allegations were proven to be false when it was shown the student was above the age of consent
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
and no sex had occurred. 53 Republican members of the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
signed a letter to the Obama administration that called for Jennings' dismissal. Education Secretary Duncan, the White House, the NEA, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Association of Secondary School Principals
The is the preeminent organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world...
have supported Jennings' appointment, with Duncan saying Jennings was “uniquely qualified for his job.”
As Assistant Deputy Secretary, Jennings has focused on matters relating to teacher safety, classroom discipline and bullying. His office has awarded safety grants worth millions of dollars. In August 2010 his office hosted the first-ever National Bullying Summit which he helped organize. In September 2010 Jennings became one of the notable members of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (NAASP), a public-private partnership designed to advance and update the 2001 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and an outgrowth of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. The NAASP will initially focus on three high-risk populations; LGBT Youth
Suicide among LGBT youth
Researchers have found that suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth is comparatively higher than among the general population...
, American Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
/Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
, Military/Veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s.
On May 19, 2011, the Boston-based nonprofit organization Be the Change, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, announced that Jennings would be resigning his position with the Obama administration and on July 25 he would become President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization.