One day after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Lake County School Board for delaying the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance student club at Carver Middle School, the School Board reversed course.
On Thursday, the School Board filed a consent order which allows for the GSA club to be formed and meet “until the end of this school year.”
“The discussion on this issue has been complex and longer than anticipated,” said Dr. Susan Moxley, Superintendent of Lake County Schools, in a statement. “The policy discussion will continue; however, this specific school and student request is being resolved within current laws and guidelines.”
The ACLU’s lawsuit argued that the delays eighth-grader Bayli Silbertstein encountered in establishing a GSA club was a violation of free speech and equal access.
The School Board will continue discussion on revising its policy on “Students Clubs & Organizations” at a meeting next Monday, May 6 at 3:30 p.m. This special meeting will be held at Lake Minneola High School’s auditorium. The school is located at 101 N. Hancock Road.
Individuals who wish to voice an opinion about changes to Policy 4.50 “Students Clubs & Organizations” are encouraged to attend the public meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting, you can submit comments to Lake County Schools by emailing [email protected].
As the article indicates, the struggle isn’t necessarily over for students who want to form a GSA in Lake County middle schools. For more info and in-depth coverage about the issues and some outrageous comments from school board member members, you can check out the Youth Allies blog (just type youthallies then dot then com), which includes articles like “Lake County School Board Member Questions 14-Year-Old Student’s Sexual Orientation” and “After School Board Blocks Gay-Straight Alliance, Board Member Tells LGBT Youth Allies, ‘The Board Has Not Blocked the GSA” and “Can and Should Middle Schools Allow Gay-Straight Alliances?” You can also Google the titles.
P.S. Clicking on my username above also will take you to the website. Cheers.