School district bans gay student clubs

[meegbear]

Sex-based clubs — including the Gay/Straight Alliance at South Rowan High School — are now banned in the Rowan-Salisbury School System. Without comment, the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to approve an amendment to the school's extracurricular activities policy banning sex-based student clubs. Board member Jim Shuping read aloud the complete text of the amendment. The policy uses the system's existing abstinence-only sex education policy as the basis for the ban.

In April, the board agreed to ban clubs such as the Gay/ Straight Alliance, voting to instruct the staff and attorneys to develop a policy. The club at South Rowan, which sparked the controversy, had continued to function through the end of the school year. The board waived its usual requirement of two readings for policy adoptions, allowing the policy to be in effect when school opens next week. The policy became effective upon adoption.

Board Chairman Bryce Beard said later that the new policy has been thoroughly reviewed by attorneys. He expressed confidence it can withstand a legal challenge. That challenge might be coming soon. "We have concerns that the policy ... is illegal," said Jennifer Rudinger, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Raleigh office. "When a school allows extracurricular clubs, it's all or nothing. They can't discriminate ... They can't pick and choose." Rudinger cited the 1984 federal Equal Access law. Rudinger said she is not aware of any county or city school district that has a policy similar to the one adopted by the Rowan-Salisbury school board.

"It's absolutely misnamed to call it a sex-based club. It's inappropriate," said Rudinger who has been in contact with students and parents of the South Rowan club. "These kids want to create a safe environment, to foster tolerance and acceptance. It's inappropriate and factually wrong to call them some kind of sex-based club. It's really a shame."

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http://www.rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fpageoneq.com%2Frssfeedstuff%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D8517

[saigon68]

1. The school board attorneys will get rich fighting this one

The taxpapyer will take it where they usually get it.

Assclown hateful fundies behind this one.

[HuffleClaw]

2. what a disgrace

it'll get tossed of course, but the school board folks will be able to use that when its time to get reelected. 'look, i voted against the evil god-hating gays!'

[NMMNG]

3. It's always about sex

Morons. :grr:

[xchrom]

4. indeed -- fundies LOVE to think about other peoples naughty bits.

and the younger the naughty bits -- the more delicious it is for them to think about it.

[NMMNG]

9. I wonder why they are so fixated on what other people do with their

hoo-hoos and ha-has. Perhaps it's because they spend so much time repressing themselves with their whacked out, twisted religion that they feel they must make everyone else as miserable as they are?

[HockeyMom]

7. Let me gets this straight (pun),

No "sex" clubs because of the school policy of abstinence only? They are joking, right? The students are not allowed to DATE? The school doesn't hold dances? Doesn't have a PROM?

Or does this abstinence only until marriage policy mean the kids need to become hermits while in HS, whether they are straight or gay?


Welcome to the 14th Century.

[NMMNG]

10. But it's about their assumption that the club is about sex

It isn't. It's about helping GLBT kids deal with who they are, and helping engender smooth relations between GLBT and straight kids. It's not a dating/mating club for pete's sake. :crazy:

[HockeyMom]

12. Exactly

[Ian David]

5. What if they just rename it, "The Tolerance Club" or "The Diversity Club"?

[Meeker Morgan]

6. Rename it if you like ...

... but it won't matter.

If it's about gays being treated as full human beings, fundies will be against it.

And you can't distract them with a "neutral" name.

[ruggerson]

8. Why don't they rename it the "Fundies Are Sick Assholes" club?

Will that run into constitutional problems?

I was thinking also of "Fundies Are Sick Fucking Assholes", but I imagine they would ban that for being about sex.

[Jamastiene]

11. Typical.

I sure hope the ACLU will fight for them to keep it open. Why can't these fundy assholes see that the club is about tolerance and not a gay escort service?

*Jama slaps own forehead.*

Oh, okay, right. Never mind. I know now. I just realized how stupid my question was. The question I asked is like asking why can't humans live without breathing. Only instead of humans, I was asking about fundies and implying that they could think for themselves. We all know that is against Rule #1 for fundies; thinking. :blush:

[insleeforprez]

13. This should be an easy case

This is pretty cut and dry. The Equal Access Act has been REPEATEDLY (ad nauseum) used to require schools to allow GSA's if they allow any extracurricular activities at all.