Calling All Educators and Counselors
for our Safe Schools Commons

Hope for Peace & Justice seeks your input on best practices to foster respect and peace in the classroom. In turn, we want to know how we can support your vital work in our communities. We’re creating a database of public and private school personnel (teachers, professors, counselors, administrators, librarians, and staff) for the purpose of networking and problem-solving on safe school issues. Counselors and social workers working outside of school settings are also encouraged to join, as are community educators, diversity trainers, and specialists who provide services to schools and school districts.

School Personnel Register Here...

Non-School Personnel Register Here...

Privacy Policy:
We will communicate with our members through e-mail, online surveys, and special events. Your name, e-mail and home addresses, and school information will not be posted online or shared. If you share ideas and classroom experiences on our Safe Schools blog or Facebook page, you can determine how your name will appear.

Introducing the
H4PJ Safe School Ratings Program

Last June the Texas Legislature passed and the Governor signed HB1942. This Law requires public schools in Texas to implement anti-bullying policies and prevention programs. The purpose of the law is to foster a culture of respect for ALL students. Each school board must now review their anti-bullying policies and re-write as necessary to comply with this law. Unfortunately, the law doesn’t go far enough. Although research shows that more comprehensive policies which enumerate "at risk" students are far more effective at preventing bias-based bullying, the Texas law does not include that as a requirement. Additionally, private and parochial schools are not required to comply with the law unless they receive federal funding. The law also does not protect children against cyber-bullying since that behavior usually occurs off campus.

Hope for Peace & Justice wants to help ensure that ALL our students are safe. Therefore we are launching a Safe School Ratings program to help private and parochial schools in DFW and Texas to create policies that not only comply with Texas State law, but include age-appropriate enumeration of "at risk" students based on race, religion, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. We will perform gap analyses of school policies against this expanded criteria and work with school administrators to improve their policies. Before the 2012 Spring Semester, we will publish a ratings of private and parochial school policies regarding how well they comply with this expanded criteria.

Safe School Petition

To: Texas Legislators, School District Superintendents, and School Board Presidents

It is time to "connect the dots" between the Texas anti-bullying law (HB 1942) and suicide prevention law (HB 1386). Asher Brown’s parents, of Houston, TX, reported that their son was bullied to the point of suicide because of his size, religion, dress, and the perception of being gay. We urge you to develop anti-bullying programs and enumerated policies that raise educators' awareness of the students at greatest risk: anyone who appears different from most students in race, religion, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

Please sign today!

Why?

You may have been surprised not to hear from Hope for Peace & Justice last week as the 10th anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001 approached. Honestly, I started writing several times, but, each time, I realized that what I thought needed to be said would only make people angry. As they say: “Been there, done that.”

In 2001 the Cathedral of Hope spent the first half of the year working on how to “detox from fundamentalism.” We acknowledged that all of us had been impacted by Christian fundamentalism, and that we all were irrationally legalistic in one area of our life or another. In the midst of talking about what it meant to be liberated and liberal in the best sense, 9/11 happened. Of course, we had the same painful reactions as everyone else. We too felt the shock, grief, and rage. However, we tried hard not to let those feelings determine how we responded or shape who we were. On the Sunday after 9/11, we did not unfurl a flag or sing patriotic hymns. We dared to invite introspection. Read MORE...

Welcome to the Oligarchy!

I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.
Grover Norquist

While we still pretend to be a democracy, and act as though Capitalism is our national religion, the United States is becoming a true oligarchy. In an oligarchy a small group holds most of the wealth and power and its members are the true decision makers.

In Washington, the mantra of the right is “cut spending.” Again and again, people point out that these cuts must come from Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the military, but only the latter provides any cause for pause. No one seems concerned that the rest of the cuts are at the expense of the poor and elderly. This is balanced by a steadfast refusal to increase taxes on the rich. The fact that they can keep a straight face while they make the argument for balancing the budget by the sacrifice of only the poor tells you how far we have come. Read MORE...

Subscribe to Liberating Word!
“Liberating Word” is designed to be daily nourishment to strengthen progressive people of faith. For the world to be transformed into a place of peace and justice, WE must enter the fray. It is tempting to duck our heads and just let things pass. It is easy to become so overwhelmed by life itself that we simply don’t have the energy to challenge what is said and done. However, if we do not, then who will?

MORE Books by Rev. Michael Piazza!

Signed copies of three new or updated books from Rev.
Michael Piazza, President of Hope for Peace & Justice, are on sale today! MORE...