Anoka-Hennepin School District 11

Last updated
Anoka-Hennepin School District
Location
North Metropolitan Twin Cities
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
District information
Type Public
MottoA Future Without Limit
GradesPreK–12
Established1920
SuperintendentDavid Law (until July 1st, 2022)
Schools34
Students and staff
Students47,965
Other information
Website ahschools.us

The Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 is a school district in Minnesota, northwest of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The district serves 13 communities: All of Anoka, Champlin and Coon Rapids, and parts of Andover, Blaine, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Dayton, Fridley, Ham Lake, Nowthen, Oak Grove and Ramsey. The district's name refers to its geographic span over two counties: it covers the southern portion of Anoka County and the northeast part of Hennepin County. The district was formed in 1920 and in 1952 after dozens of small rural school districts voted to consolidate.

Contents

Cory McIntyre has served as superintendent since July 1, 2023. As of the 2012–13 school year, it is the largest school district in Minnesota with an enrollment of 37,880, [1] students in grades K–12. Additional students attend pre-k programs as well as adults who are earning a diploma or GED through the district's Adult Basic Education program.

School Board

Anoka-Hennepin is governed by a board whose members are elected to four-year terms. [2]

Controversy

Between 2009 and 2011, nine students in Anoka-Hennepin died by suicide; the area is designated by state health officials as a "suicide contagion area." Many of these students were gay or perceived by their classmates to be gay, leading to bullying. The district is the subject of a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education over the climate of anti-gay harassment and discrimination based on sex, including peer-on-peer harassment based on not conforming to gender stereotypes. [3] [4]

The district received criticism for its Sexual Orientation Curriculum Policy (Feb. 2009) because it stated that teachers should be neutral when addressing issues of sexual orientation in their classrooms. Critics said this "neutrality policy" prevented acceptance and open discussion of LGBT people and issues in schools, and was essentially a "gag order" on teachers. [5] District administration attempted to clarify [6] the policy by explaining its anti-bullying and harassment policies specifically name sexual orientation as a protected class of people. The Sexual Orientation Curriculum Policy stated teachers can address issues of sexual orientation in their classes provided the discussion is age-appropriate, fact-based and connected to the curriculum. In July 2011, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a lawsuit [7] against the district because of this policy. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of five current and former students who say that they were discriminated against because of their real or perceived sexual orientation and that teachers and district officials facilitated said violence and discrimination; a sixth student was added to the lawsuit a month later.

On February 13, 2012, the policy was repealed and replaced by a vote of 5–1 with a new Respectful Learning Environment Policy. [8] [9] The former policy required district staff to "remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientation," while discussing such topics "in a respectful manner that is age-appropriate, factual, and pertinent to the relevant curriculum." [10] By comparison, the new policy states, "It is not the District's role to take positions on these issues. Teachers and educational support staff shall not attempt in the course of their professional duties to persuade students to adopt or reject any particular viewpoint with respect to these issues." It states that such discussions, "shall be appropriate to the maturity and developmental level of students; be of significance to course content; and be presented in an impartial, balanced and objective manner, allowing respectful exchange of varying points of view." Finally, the new policy states that, "In the course of discussions of such issues, district staff shall affirm the dignity and self-worth of all students, regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex/gender, marital status, disability, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, age, family care leave status or veteran status." [8]

Schools and facilities

Elementary schools

Middle schools

Senior high schools

The district runs five specialized programs for high school students:

Other sites

Non-District schools

These public charter, private, or parochial schools are located within the Anoka-Hennepin School District but are not affiliated.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Andover is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 32,601 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anoka, Minnesota</span> City in Minnesota, United States

Anoka is a city in and the county seat of Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 17,142 at the 2010 census. Anoka is the "Halloween Capital of the World" because it hosted one of the first Halloween parades in 1920. It continues to celebrate the holiday each year with several parades. Anoka is a northern suburb of the Twin Cities. U.S. Highways 10 / 169 and State Highway 47 are three of Anoka's main routes, and it has a station on the Northstar Commuter Rail line to Minneapolis.

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Coon Rapids is a northern suburb of Minneapolis, and is the second-largest city by population in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 63,599 at the 2020 census, making it the fifteenth largest city in Minnesota and the seventh largest Twin Cities suburb.

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Coon Rapids High School (CRHS) is a public high school in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 and participates in the University of Minnesota's College in the Schools program.

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Kathy Tingelstad is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represented District 49B, which primarily includes portions of the cities of Andover and Coon Rapids in Anoka County in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area. Prior to the 2002 legislative redistricting, the area was known as District 50B. A Republican, she is also a business consultant.

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The Youth in Music Band Championships is an annual high school marching band competition in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is one of the largest marching band events in the Upper Midwest, attracting three dozen competitors and thousands of spectators every year. The Annual Championships are held the 2nd Saturday in October, at U.S. Bank Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Newton</span> American politician

Gerald F. "Jerry" Newton is an American politician and decorated non-commissioned officer who has served in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. He previously served in the House from 2009 to 2017 and in the Minnesota Senate from 2017 to 2023. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Newton represents District 35B in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Coon Rapids and Andover and parts of Anoka County.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education and the LGBT community</span>

Historically speaking, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have not been given equal treatment and rights by both governmental actions and society's general opinion. Much of the intolerance for LGBT individuals come from lack of education around the LGBT community, and contributes to the stigma that results in same-sex marriage being legal in few countries (31) and persistence of discrimination, such as in the workplace.

The Student Non-Discrimination Act is proposed United States federal legislation that aims to protect LGBT students against bullying and discrimination in school. It is modeled after Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which addressed discrimination on the basis of sex.

Parents Action League (PAL) is a citizens organization started in 2010 to oppose changes in the Anoka-Hennepin (Minnesota) School District 11 policy which limited discussions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues in district classrooms. PAL's roots go back as far as 1994, when one of its most-vocal members, Barb Anderson, successfully influenced the school district's board to exclude homosexuality from its sex-ed curriculum.

Fridley High School is one of the high schools in Fridley, Minnesota. The high school itself is part of Minnesota School District 14, though much of Fridley falls into other districts. The high school shares a street corner with Fridley Middle School. Both facilities operate together and provide mixed curriculum. For instance, the middle school houses the pool and provides "field experience" for seniors thinking about going into education. The high school houses the auditorium which is used by Substance Church and the Fridley Community Theatre as well as the school district.

References

  1. ↑ "St. Paul, Anoka-Hennepin schools: Who's the biggest district? Both say 'me'". 21 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "Anoka-Hennepin School Board". Anoka-Hennepin School District. Archived from the original on 2012-05-10. Retrieved Oct 18, 2011.
  3. ↑ Mencimer, Stephanie (July 25, 2011). "The Teen Suicide Epidemic in Michele Bachmann's District". Mother Jones.
  4. ↑ Harlow, Poppy; Probst, Emily. (July 20, 2011). "Minnesota school district investigated after civil rights complaint". CNN.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012.
  5. ↑ Birkey, Andy. MinnesotaIndependent.com 29 Sept. 2010 "Following suicides, Anoka-Hennepin community presses school board for change" http://minnesotaindependent.com/71475/following-suicides-anoka-hennepin-community-presses-school-board-for-change
  6. ↑ Carlson, Dennis. StarTribune.com 10 Aug. 2011 "Superintendent: LGBT neutrality policy is best for Anoka-Hennepin schools" http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/127490178.html%5B%5D
  7. ↑ Sun, Christine (July 21, 2011). "Why We're Suing Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin School District". Southern Poverty Law Center.
  8. 1 2 Respectful Learning Environment Policy Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine [Official Text Pending Publication]
  9. ↑ Baca, Maria Elena (13 February 2012). "Anoka-Hennepin school district votes to replace neutrality policy". StarTribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  10. ↑ "School Board Policies 2 - 600 - Education Programs". Archived from the original on 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2011-10-18.

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