Dr. Ruane Was at Center of Gay Agenda in Lexington Schools

By Ed Oliver
April 2001

In a move that stunned Lexington residents, its School Committee voted 4-1 last month to terminate Superintendent Patricia Ruane's contract, effective immediately.

The Committee said in a press release: "The School Committee wishes to assure the entire school community that this action was not taken as a result of any illegal or unethical conduct on the part of Dr. Ruane."

It made the move a day after completing an evaluation report on Dr. Ruane, which included input from various professionals in the community.

Committee members were tight-lipped about the reason for the dismissal, but Ruane was no stranger to controversy during her tenure.

Last year, 250 parents crowded School Committee meetings demanding to know what was being taught to their children about homosexuality. The parents had heard about the gay agenda in Massachusetts schools from publicity surrounding the Fistgate scandal printed in Massachusetts News. Ruane defended the pro-homosexual curriculum and defiantly promised to train teachers and students to accept homosexual families as normal.

After that, Ruane was again at the center of controversy when, in collusion with the Unitarian Church in Lexington, she gave the blessing and co-sponsorship of Lexington Schools to a homosexual fair called "Respecting Differences."

It featured pro-gay videos and workshops. In addition, some Lexington school children were marched through the Unitarian church to view a photo exhibit of homosexual families. The event was reported by Massachusetts News. After Sunday services, Congressman Barney Frank gave a pro-gay speech from the pulpit of the church which public school teachers earned school credits for attending. In his speech, Frank mocked parents who opposed the gay agenda in the schools, calling them "morons." A religious panel packed with pro-homosexual ministers finished the day by discussing acceptance of homosexuality.

With the help of the American Family Association, five Lexington residents filed a lawsuit against the school committee and superintendent in the U.S. District Court in Boston, but in an unusual coincidence the radical feminist Judge Nancy Gertner was randomly chosen out of the 18 judges at the court to rule on yet another conservative case in the court. She quickly ruled against an attempt to halt school sponsorship of the religious activities.

After firing Ruane, a motion was unanimously adopted at the meeting to appoint as Interim Superintendent, Joanne Benton, who was Director of Elementary Education.

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