Caleb Laieski on Arizona's Safe Schools Act

Caleb Laieski lived in Arizona at the time and at the age of 16, speaks on Arizona's Safe Schools Act. 

Human Rights in US

Among the industrial nations, the United States is unique in many ways. The capitalist economics of the United States that promotes free trade, private ownership, laissez-faire, consumerism, individualism and claims for welfare is the source of paradoxes. It is long that commentators are criticizing the condition of the health care. The last of them is the American documentary director, Michael Moore with his fabulous "Sicko". In it, he analyzes like a physician the ill health care of his country.

According to Caleb Laieski pharmaceutical products are a large part of a nation's health care. Health Care, respectively, is a major component in promoting the justice, as a Human Rights credo in a society. One of the realms in which the US should manage to make reformation, thus, is the health care provisions and policies.

Health Care in the US 

The present feather on the US cap regarding health care are the two programs of Medicare and Medicaid which are in their own turns under criticism.

The public health care debates began somewhere around the beginning of the 20th century. During the century of efforts that would ultimately determine the fate of the condition, all American presidents were assumed to be advocates of national health care. But, as the present conditions reveal, each time there was an obstacle in the way. FDR, for example, left it high and dry lest the Social Security plan be blocked and doomed. The advent of the cold war decrepitated it as the "socialized medicine". However, the 40s and 50s were the summits of the movement of the public health care as a more serious program. A system then, unique among industrial nations, America, in the 1950s had a health care system that was tied to employment. Of course, there were inefficiencies in such a system to that suffering low-income, women, and the agrarians and workers in the remote areas.

Kennedy and Johnson, also, were advocates of the program but they were limited by the votes of the republican congress. Finally, when the congress turned to democrats, the Medicare and Medicaid programs were passed. And most disastrous was the Watergate which abandoned the promised national health care by President Nixon for another run. Then, "instead of producing medical care and related services itself, the government chose- as it usually did in America- to rely on the market. ... Government production of medical care diminished as government funding increased and health care was outsourced to private providers.

"From 1972 to 1994, the population improved from 18 to 35 million. In the same years, the costs of the program soared from $8 billion to &144 billion... and by 1980s, Medicaid often was the largest program in state budgets, and by the 1990s it cost governors six times as much as AFDC. From this point, price cutting began. Underneath President Reagan, the Prospective payment system decreased the radius of the umbrella. "As in the familiar master narrative of policy reform, policy makers judged their success by the lower numbers and paid little attention to the consequences for patients or clients."(ibid: 264) this led to the 20 percent decrease of Medicare during the 80s. At this very historical point, the business interests began exploiting the profitable healthcare as a new industry. Katz says that in the 80s, the number of investors in health services was one-fourth of the totals.

According to Caleb Laieski the New Deal of President Clinton, The President Health Security Plan, was a final attempt to rescue the health care, but it failed. He observed that almost 37 employees worked without the usual employer's coverage because they worked for small employers who didn't carry insurance. Those with insurance worried about their situation in the case of losing their jobs. The policy of the Clinton committee on the reform was not to follow the excellent model of other industrialized nations, but to create a distinguished one for the sake of uniqueness. This is known as the managing competition which is considered as the reason for the defeat of the reform.

Intellectual Property

IP, Intellectual Property, is a kind of patent regulated as the legal protection of the technological products for the companies or individuals that are the investors and inventors of it.

The issue that is the concern of this paper is the influence of such laws, and specifically, this law on the welfare consumers, people, in the United States. Data released in 2004 by the Census Bureau show that "the number of uninsured Americans erected at 45.8 million in 2004, the percentage of people without health insurance has been 15.7 percent in 2004.

The current stated United States policy on intellectual property, whose main focus is on preserving its unparalleled strength in economic, political and military affairs, therefore raises particular concerns. That is "the United States policy, by focusing exclusively on the rights of its export industries, may lead to very restrictive interpretations of the flexibilities contained in the international agreements, to the detriment of public health needs. On the other hand, the domestic implications of the acts and the policy should not be ignored.

Gay Litchfield Park student seeks help from Surprise-based group for bullying issues

Many children are teased, but imagine being verbally harassed on a daily basis in middle school.

A Wigwam Creek Middle School student says that's what happened to him because he is gay. His classmates wrote gay slurs on his Facebook page. He was targeted in the cafeteria, on the playground and in class. He's afraid to ride the bus.

The excelling student let his grades slip and after the torment was too much to handle, wrote a suicide note.

But instead of following through, he sought help. The middle-school student and his parents, who The Republic is not identifying to protect the child's identity, met with administrators and counselors. The bullies got detention, but things didn't get better, said the family.

That's when the student contacted Gays and Lesbians United against Discrimination, a Surprise-based organization founded by 16-year-old Caleb Laieski.

His mission is to make sure students get the protection "all students deserve," he said.

Half of all students admit they bullied someone in the past year, and about 47 percent say they were bullied, teased or taunted in a way that seriously upset them, according to a 2010 study by the Josephson Institute of Ethics.

About 85 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students reported being harassed at school, according to a survey by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. School officials said there are several programs on campus to stop bullying, and they try to stop verbal and physical harassment.

The district superintendent is researching the possibility of a language to its policy specifically prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Reaching out to the school

Laieski said the middle-school boy sought him out on Facebook and asked for help on March 18 after the child was Cyber Bullied. Three days later, Laieski sent a letter on behalf of the student to top administrators at Litchfield Elementary School District and Wigwam Creek.

Laieski wrote that administrators are "failing to intervene" when the child is bullied and they "are not providing adequate discipline to deter or put an end to" the bullying.

He asked for the school and district to increase staff training, involve students in bullying prevention and change the district's anti-discrimination policy to specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity.

The school and district said administrators responded to the letter immediately. Wigwam counselor Cyndee Head said she spoke with the boy after the letter was sent and Superintendent Julianne Lein said the issue is resolved.

"We addressed it as soon as we received the e-mail. We did speak with the student and their parents," Lein said. "It was my understanding that the parents did not support the organization contacting the district. However, the disagreement between the two students, it occurred on Facebook and was resolved."

The boy's parents said they support the letter and organization.

"The day the letter went out is the day my son came out pretty much. Caleb has been a blessing in our lives and I am thankful that he reached out to my son," the mother said.

"If it wasn't for Caleb, I don't know where things would be. I think it's terrible that the administration says we don't support his organization."

School officials decline to comment on specifics, including action taken on the cyber-bullying incident, but Wigwam Creek Principal Dave Mayer said the school does not "condone cyber bullying, physical bullying, or verbal harassment."

The school teaches students about character and citizenship and provides several anti-bullying programs on campus, he said.

Bullying didn't stop

Mayer initially said the school officials didn't know about the student's bullying problems.

"We try to be proactive. We were unaware of what was even occurring," Mayer said. "So in the e-mail when he (Caleb Laieski) said it was happening numerous times and nothing was being done, that's totally inaccurate, because they (the family) never said a thing."

In a later interview, Mayer said the family talked to the advisors about bullying.

"They have dealt with issues on that. They talked with other kids involved in some of these incidents. They talked to other parents of the kids involved," he said. "I particularly, I haven't. But my staff has."

The boy's mother said the family has met with counselors and the assistant principal about the suicide note, declining grades and bullying.

The boy said he hoped the bullying would stop after Laieski sent the letter. But it hasn't. He said it's a daily struggle on campus.

Mayer said the school staff tries to be vigilant but needs students' help in stopping bullying at the 900-student campus.

Lein, the superintendent, said she will research changing the district's discrimination policy to specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity "and its appropriateness for elementary schools." Laeski said adding those specific protections is important.

"We're asking that they protect sexual orientation because as long as we have those protections on the books, then we can make sure that all students are safe under the book. Then it's a matter of intervention," he said.

Source by:  http://archive.azcentral.com/community/surprise/articles/20110418litchfield-park-gay-student-bullying.html#ixzz4QRj82PUV

Surprise Teen is an Advocate for Gay Rights

Fifteen-year-old Caleb Laieski's summer days go something like this: Wake up. Sit in front of a Dell laptop and read dozens of e-mails. Give a virtual pep talk and a phone contact to a girl from Australia considering suicide. Provide a hotline number to a Valley teen unsure how to tell his parents he's gay.

Add to a list of politicians across the country who will soon receive information about discrimination against gays and lesbians. And, oh yeah, return yet another call from the media.

Laieski, of Surprise, isn't spending his summer hanging at the pool. The high-school student is a gay activist, working between classes and school breaks.

He co-founded a national anti-discrimination organization in 2008, when he was a middle-school student. It's now based out of his bedroom.

He has sent hundreds of e-mails full of statistics to legislators, local politicians and others, hoping to inspire policy changes favorable to the gay community. And he has dealt with what he dubbed harassment at Willow Canyon High School in Surprise.
"Everything I have gone through has inspired my activism," Laieski said.

Eager to raise awareness, he recently shared his experiences with reporters from MSNBC and other outlets interested in the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona's offer to represent him. Dysart officials should have tried to stop anti-gay slurs and abuse, Laieski said.

Dysart Unified School District officials said they can't comment on specific students but has policies to prevent harassment.

Dan Pochoda, legal director at the Arizona ACLU office, said he and Laieski hope to meet with the district to promote updates to school bullying policies and additional training for staff.

Laieski isn't waiting. He has been on the move since 2008. That year, he and a friend founded Gays and Lesbians United against Discrimination in reaction to votes barring gay marriage in Arizona, California and Florida.

Laieski, the group's executive director, now leads about 20 volunteers who hope to urge lawmakers to overturn policies and laws they believe discriminate against gays and lesbians. They also hope to build a homeless shelter.

Caleb Laieski said he will pursue non-profit status in coming weeks.

Source:
http://archive.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/07/13/20100713surprise-teen-gay-rights-advocate.html

Teen takes on bias, bullies in Litchfield Elementary district

Merik Castro is by all appearances an average, floppy-haired, and thin-framed teen.

He dreams of living in New York and though he isn't sure what he'll study, he plans to go to college.

Merik, 13, goes to the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center, a charter high school in Avondale, where he says he can breathe a little easier, because for the first time since preschool he feels safe. Merik said he was bullied daily at Wigwam Creek Middle School which he attended until the seventh grade, when he skipped a grade because intimidation and harassment became too much to handle.

Merik said he was targeted because of his sexual orientation. He said he has never been ashamed or confused about it, but he didn't know how to tell his parents, or how his extended and more conservative family members would react.

Now he hopes to turn his experiences into a vehicle for change. On Tuesday, Merik will ask the Litchfield Elementary School District's governing board to change its policies concerning reports of discrimination and student grievances.

So far, his online petition has garnered 2,500 signatures in about two weeks. He's asked the board to:

-Specifically include protection against harassment based on actual and perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.

-�Ensure harassment of gay students is treated as a separate category of prohibited conduct, not as a subset of sexual harassment.

-�Clearly explain the complaint procedures for reporting harassment, how investigations of such allegations are to be handled by the district, and what district resources and remedies are available for victims of such harassment.

"I want the bullies to get disciplined. I don't just want them to be talked to. I want them to be taught that they need to stop," said Merik.

Current district policy states that students may file complaints when faced with discriminatory treatment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or disability. It does not include specific language about sexual preference.

Although he is no longer bullied, Merik said he once considered killing himself because of the daily threats some of his classmates made.

"I was going to overdose on pills," said Merik, in a recent interview with The Arizona Republic.

The bullies yelled taunts that ranged from "girly," "fruity," and "gross" to much more cutting and derogatory gay insults. Merik said he has always found it easy to befriend mostly girls, which is why the taunting first began. Those jeers escalated to being shoved into lockers, kicked when he was confined to a wheelchair after a surgery, and assaulted.

Merik and his parents say the school did little to intervene, despite several reports of bullying, and that the district overstepped its authority and "outed" him as a homosexual to administrators and his parents. District officials deny the charge.

In an attempt for help, Merik wrote a suicide note last October and turned it in as a school assignment. He also contacted Caleb Laieski, a gay-rights advocate from Gays and Lesbians United against Discrimination, a Surprise-based organization. The advocate wrote to the district in March, urging them to provide a safe school environment and discipline the children responsible for harassment.

Merik and his family said the district mishandled the reports of bullying, didn't sufficiently punish bullies, didn't offer adequate resources when Merik expressed suicidal thoughts and suggested he leave the school to resolve the bullying issue. 

Ann Donahue, a public information officer for the district, said two students were given out-of-school suspension and one student was given in-school suspension after officials investigated the claims of bullying. Records show that on March 22 Dave Mayer, principal at Wigwam Creek, responded to Laieski's advocate letter.

"We are looking into the situation. We take the safety and well-being of all of our students very seriously, and do not condone bullying or harassment of any kind," said Mayer to the advocate. The district was unable to provide requested records of the bullying investigation by deadline.

The district conducts annual bullying surveys within its schools to determine what behaviors students are exposed to.

In spring 2011, 548 students at Wigwam Creek were polled. Of those, 101 students reported being bullied two to three times a month.

Survey shows boys and girls reported that more than 50 percent of the bullying was name-calling.

On Tuesday, the district governing board will vote on a new student violence/harassment/intimidation/bullying policy to comply with a new state law, House Bill 2415, which requires public-school districts to specify definitions of bullying and harassment, how students will be disciplined and availability of reporting forms for students, teachers and parents who see bullying or other types of harassment.

The new state policy increases accountability of teachers and administrators who witness bullying by requiring detailed written descriptions of incidents.

The state and subsequently the proposed district policy also require that school officials meet with involved students to review findings of the investigation, regardless of the outcome.

If approved, the policy specifically prohibits harassment based on sexual preference.

Donahue said the district will not specifically include a separate category for gay students, because all students are protected under the new policy.

"If someone is being bullied because of sexual orientation that is harassment period," said Chris Thomas, general counsel for the Arizona School Boards Association.

Thomas said all students will be equally protected under the new district policies, which must be implemented by the end of the school year.

"I think the main difference is that under House Bill 2415, educators have an affirmative responsibility. It goes so far as to say that students not directly involved can report. It is everybody's responsibility to eradicate bullying," said Thomas. 

Source : http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/09/30/20110930litchfield-elementary-teen-petition-discrimination-case.html#ixzz4Q4I2qiHL

A prominent national advocate, launches initiative to increase volunteerism in the United States.

Caleb Laieski, a prominent national advocate, launches initiative to increase volunteerism in the United States.

Caleb Laieski, a 21-year-old National Advocate and former 911 Dispatcher, has come up with the first-ever major national push to get more people in America engaged and involved in volunteerism.

A question we often ask is “How can we get more people involved in our communities?" and “How can we make this world a better place?”

Laieski is proposing:

If one does (x) amount of community service hours, they shall receive a tax credit of (x) on state income tax. This can be for things like volunteering at your local animal shelter, cleaning up litter, helping with church programs, putting meals together at homeless shelters, and so much more!

Laieski has sent approximately 20,000 emails to every state representative, state senator, Governor’s office, Member of Congress, U.S. Senator’s office, and their senior staff. He has also provided a copy to several top advisors at The White House and the Hillary Clinton Campaign.

Laieski has received hundreds of emails back in support of getting legislation launched in several states across the country to support his initiative. Laieski says, "This proposal will increase volunteerism, provide a financial incentive to get more folks engaged in their community, and help organizations and people that are in desperate need of assistance."

Laieski has been thanked for his efforts during his teen years by President Obama and Vice President Biden and his efforts are featured in the National Center for Civil and Human Right’s gallery located in Atlanta, Georgia.

Caleb  Laieski is an environment and civil rights activist, as well as a Champion to the LGBT rights movement. He was bullied, dropped out of high school and quickly obtained his GED. After being bullied at the age of 16, he became a national advocate for anti-bullying, LGBT rights, and suicide prevention.

Caleb Laieski

16400 PCH

Huntington Beach, CA 92647
United States
9494940007
Caleb@CalebLaieski.com
http://www.caleblaieski.com/

Originally Posted: https://newswire.net/newsroom/pr/00093916-caleb-laieski-launches-initiatives-for-volunteerism.html