Department of Education
Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
Kevin Jennings serves as the Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education.
Jennings is a teacher, author and civil rights activist. Throughout his career, he’s been an advocate and spokesperson for gay rights and LGBT youth.
Jennings is the founder and served as long-time director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Under his leadership, GLSEN grew from an all-volunteer group to a national organization with about 70 chapters nationwide and a national staff of about 30. Kevin Jennings’ biography, GLSEN.org
Jennings’ work for the Education Committee of the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth was pivotal in Massachusetts becoming the first U.S. state to outlaw discrimination based on sexual identity and preference in grammar and high schools.
Jennings’ nomination to his current post drew the ire of various conservative critics. Unruh, Bob, WorldNetDaily, “Dozens in Congress: Oust Obama’s porn-promoter: Homosexual activist Jennings now heading America’s ‘safe schools’ office,” Dec. 07, 2009 Hannity, Sean, Fox News, “It’s Time for Kevin Jennings to Resign,” Oct. 6, 2009
Jennings is the author of six books.
Current Position:
Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (since July 2009)
Career History:
Executive Director, GLSEN (1994 – 2008);
History Teacher, Moses Brown School, Providence, R.I. (1985-1987);
History Department chair and History Teacher, Concord Academy, Concord, Mass. (1987–1995)
Hometown:
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Birthday:
May 8, 1963
Alma Mater:
Harvard University, Bachelor’s Degree, magna cum laude, 1985;
Columbia University’s Teachers College, Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 1994;
New York University’s Stern School of Business, Master of Business Administration, 1999
Partner:
Jeff Davis
DC Office:
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
550 12th Street, SW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20202-6450
Telephone: 202-245-7896
Fax: 202-485-0013
Email:
Kevin.Jennings@ed.gov
Web site:
http://www.ed.gov/
PATH TO POWER
Jennings began his career as an educator as a high school history teacher in Moses Brown School in Providence, R.I. from 1985 to 1987, then Concord Academy, Concord, Mass., from 1987 through 1995. Jennings became the faculty adviser to the first U.S. gay-straight alliance in 1998 at Concord.
In 1990 in Boston, he founded the volunteer group Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight teachers, parents, students, and community members against anti-LGBT bias in Massachusetts’ grammar and high schools.
In 1992, Jennings was appointed by Massachusetts Gov. William Weld as co-chair to the Education Committee of the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. The recommendations of a report he authored in 1993, “Making Schools Safer for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Breaking the Silence in Schools and in Families,”were adopted as policy by the Massachusetts State Board of Education.
Subsequently, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to outlaw discrimination against public school students on the basis of their sexual orientation. That same year, Massachusetts established a statewide program to monitor educational equity on issues of sexual orientation.
Jennings left teaching to build GLSEN into a national organization, and headed the organization through August 2008.
Jennings’ nomination to his current post was announced May 19, 2009, by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
- Diversity Leadership Award of the National Association of Independent Schools, 2008
- Distinguished Service Award of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, 2007
- Newsweek magazine’s Century Club, “100 people to watch in the new century,” 2007
- Human and Civil Rights Award of the National Education Association, 2004
- “Terrific Teachers Making a Difference,” Edward Calesa Foundation, 1992
- “Mama’s Boy, Preacher’s Son: A Memoir,” 2006 (released in paperback in 2007 as “Mama’s Boy, Preacher’s Son: A Memoir of Growing Up, Coming Out and Changing America”). Named Book of Honor by the American Library Association, 2006.
- “Always My Child: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Your Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered or Questioning Son or Daughter,” 2002, with Patricia Gottlieb Shapiro
- “Telling Tales Out of School: Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals Revisit Their School Days,” 1998
- “One Teacher in 10,” (editor), 2005 and “One Teacher in Ten: Gay and Lesbian Educators Tell Their Stories,” (editor), 1994
- “Becoming Visible: A Reader in Gay and Lesbian History for High School and College Students,” (editor) 1994
“Teenagers deserve an opportunity to study English, history, math, and science without being subjected to harassment, bullying and name-calling, because they simply can’t focus on learning when they are afraid. That’s the message of the Day of Silence. It’s a lesson that every student needs to learn.” Jennings, Kevin, Huffington Post, “Surgery, Silence, and Skipping School,” April 17, 2007
“Students can’t learn when they, instead, fear for their safety.” Jennings, Kevin, Huffington Post, “Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire,” May 11, 2007
THE ISSUES
According to his Department of Education bio, Jennings’ work is dedicated “to seeking to ensure that schools are safe places where every young person can focus on learning.” Jennings, Kevin, Department of Education, biography
Jennings, a New York Rangers fan, has written and spoken out about anti-gay issues in sports, specifically hockey. Jennings, Kevin, “Locker Room Bullies,” Huffington Post, March 22, 2007. Thomas, Katie, “When Tradition and Taunts Collide: Gay Hockey Fans Criticize Garden,” New York Times, March 21, 2008
THE NETWORK
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who appointed Jennings to his post at the Department of Education, also officially defended Jennings over the student advice issue (see In The News). CBS News, “Kevin Jennings Gets Boost from White House: Education Secretary Defends Department Official Under Fire for Advice He Gave to Gay Student Two Decades Ago,” Oct. 1, 2009
Massachusetts Gov. William Weld appointed Jennings as co-chair to the Education Committee of the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth.
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
Jennings is listed as a “bundler” for the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. Money donated is between $100,000 – $200,000 from 21,599 sources. OpenSecrets.org, Barack Obama Bundlers
IN THE NEWS
In his book “One Teacher in Ten,” Jennings writes about a 1988 incident in which a sophomore confided to him that he was having a sexual relationship with an older man. Jennings did not report this incident as abuse – the student was 16 at the time, the age of consent in Massachusetts.
This incident was widely reported on in late September and October 2009. Some media outlets incorrectly reported that the student was 15 at the time, and that the incident therefore constituted statutory rape, which Jennings should have reported. Lott, Maxim, Fox News, “Obama’s ‘Safe Schools’ Czar Admits He Poorly Handled Underage Sex Case,” Sept. 30, 2009 Hannity, Sean, Fox News, “It’s Time for Kevin Jennings to Resign,” Oct. 6, 2009 Weiner, Rachel, Huffington Post, “Kevin Jennings Should Be Fired, 53 House Republicans Say,” Oct. 16, 2009 Thrush, Glenn, Politico, “King: Czar pushing ‘homosexuality,’” Oct. 6, 2009 Garry, Joan, Huffington Post, “Kevin Jennings Is Highly Qualified for His Job,” Oct. 16, 2009 Tolins, Jonathan, Huffington Post, “The Lesson of Kevin Jennings,” Oct. 5, 2009