Dear Safe Schools members and friends ...

Article in April 2001 American School Board Journal on Boy Scouts, school policies and the law

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There is an important article in this month's American School Board Journal entitled "Be Prepared:What your school board needs to know about Boy Scouts, School Policies and the Law" (vol. 188, no. 4, pgs 34-37).

It concludes by quoting Julie Underwood, general counsel for the National School Boards Association, who says the key is to ask "What do you do for other organizations? You can't treat [Boy Scouts] differently, and you can't engage in any kind of viewpoint discrimination." But, the article continues, "if your district's policies prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion or sexual orientation -- and if your nondiscrimination policy extends to groups using the school buildings -- then the Boy Scouts might be out. No sponsorships, no special treatment, no meetings at school. 'If you have an antidiscrimination policy ...,' says Underwood, 'you have to abide by it.'"

Unfortunately, the article is NOT available on ASBJ's website (http://www.asbj.com) but you can order a single issue of the journal. Either send a written request and enclose a check made payable to ASBJ for $5 to ASBJ Lockbox, PO Box 1815, Merrifield, VA 22116 or call their customer service line (703-838-6721) and provide your credit card information.

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