Rowan School Leaders Ban Sexually-Oriented Clubs

Rowan School Leaders Ban Sexually-Oriented Clubs
Monday, April 10, 2006

The Rowan County Board of Education members voted Monday night against allowing sexually-oriented clubs from meeting on school grounds

The Rowan County Board of Education voted Monday night to ban sexually-oriented clubs from South Rowan High School.

Hundreds of protestors showed up at the meeting to hear school board members discuss concerns about a sexually-oriented club at a school. 

The Gay-Straight Alliance was approved last month and twelve students are members.

The Christian organization called Operation Save America organized a rally.  

In Charlotte , at least seven similar groups are operating in area schools.

There are similar cases right now in Minnesota, Kentucky, Utah, California and Georgia.  Federal Courts have consistently ruled against school boards who ban these clubs.

According to lawsuits filed by the ACLU, the federal Equal Access Act of 1984 holds public schools to extend the same privileges to all student-organized, non-curricular clubs.

In other words, South Rowan would have to shut down all its non-curricular clubs to stay within the law.

Channel 3 WBTV April 10, 2006