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White County High School senior Charlene Hammersen said returning to school this week has been uneventful so far, after she and other students successfully won a federal lawsuit allowing them to form a gay-straight alliance on campus.
(Photo by Dyana Bagby) |
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: DYANA BAGBY
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Despite winning a federal lawsuit mandating a gay-straight alliance be allowed to meet on the campus of White County High School in north Georgia this year, students wanting to join the club now face another hurdle: They must first get their parent’s permission, according to the school district’s superintendent.
A U.S. District judge ruled July 14 that White County High School administrators violated the federal Equal Access Act when they banned all non-curricular clubs in 2005 as a way to keep out the GSA, named Peers Rising in Diverse Education, or PRIDE.
White County School Superintendent Paul Shaw said that while PRIDE is now able to meet on campus, it was not part of the school’s listing of extracurricular activities when the 2006-2007 student handbook was created and is considered a new club. According to a new Georgia law, parents must give express permission for students to join new clubs.
“We did the handbook before the court ruling and [PRIDE] is not listed in the handbook,” Shaw said Aug. 8. White County schools started back on Aug. 7.
“Any new club that is started this year requires a parent’s signature for a student to join this one year,” he added.
But Shaw also said that the system had “reinstated” the clubs banned in 2005 in keeping with the court’s ruling. Whether the school system will appeal the July 14 ruling is unknown, he added.
“Our attorney is still trying to work some things out. But now we’re just focused on being back to school. We’re not anticipating any trouble — we just want to go about business as normal,” Shaw said.
Charlene Hammersen, a senior at White County who is a member of PRIDE and was a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said the group has yet to get a sponsor for the club and organize a first meeting.
“We just started back to school Monday, so we’re still trying to get organized. We hope to meet in about a week,” she said Aug. 8.
“Nobody has said anything mean to me, and so far nothing is really different,” she said.
“I just want us to be an activist club with a lot of people joining. We want to get our point across that we don’t want to start controversy,” she added.
‘Opt out’ option
As a result of the GSA controversy at White County High School in Cleveland, Ga., state Sen. Nancy Schaefer (R-Turnerville) proposed legislation to require parents give permission for a student to join any school club. Gay rights activists argued the bill was simply an attempt to keep GSAs out of high schools, noting that students who are afraid to be open about their sexual orientation with their parents would not ask for permission to join the clubs.
The General Assembly eventually approved a watered down version of Schaefer’s bill that requires all public schools to inform parents and guardians about what extracurricular clubs are available at their child’s school. If a parent or guardian deems a club unsuitable for their child, they can then “opt out” the student from that club by signing a form and filing it with school officials.
However, the law also states that any clubs started after the school notifies parents about activities would require an “opt-in” signature, meaning parents must give permission for a student to join the club.
Shaw said he expects a White County high school administrator will attend the first formal meeting of PRIDE and hand out a permission slip.
“We’ll hand out permission slips that state in order for you to continue coming to these meetings, you’ll have to bring this [permission slip] back,” he said.
Shaw added that the other non-curricular clubs banned in 2005 along with PRIDE, such as the Key Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, are also considered new clubs and will also require parental permission for students to join.
The Atlanta Public School system, which includes some 80 schools including 10 high schools, starts classes Aug. 14. The new parental permission law will go into effect when students begin classes, said school spokesperson Joe Manguno.
“The acknowledgement form in the 2006-2007 APS Student Handbook has been modified to include the changes, and each school in APS has prepared a list of school-sponsored clubs and organizations that will be inserted into the handbook prior to distribution to students,” he said.
‘Veiled attempt’ to again keep out GSA?
During the trial seeking a permanent injunction against White County High School to allow PRIDE to meet on campus, ACLU attorneys proved to U.S. District Court Judge William O’Kelley that the school allowed other non-curricular ...
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