Schools: Gay Straight club gets McKinley High approval

By KRISTEN KING, Advocate staff writer

After weeks of student protests, intense media attention and public debate, the McKinley High School principal on Friday officially approved a Gay Straight Alliance on the campus.

But it is not the first one in the public schools. Without any of the hoopla, Scotlandville High's principal had already approved a club at his school and it held its first meeting Thursday.

"My kids over here do things diplomatically. They're very professional in what they do," Scotlandville Principal Freddie Williams said Friday afternoon.

"They came in to me after the (new club) regulations were approved" in mid-February, Williams said.

"They followed them to the letter and they are not creating any fuss about anything, and neither are my other students," Williams said. "My kids understand that they are individuals, just as we are individuals."

The club at McKinley will start meeting later this month.

Both clubs will meet every three weeks during a club period scheduled during the regular school day.

On Friday, news of McKinley Principal Almenia Freeman Warren's decision pleased Martin Pfeiffer, whose original application to start a Gay Straight Alliance six months ago touched off a heated debate that reached from the campus to the School Board and beyond.

"I'm glad to finally have something in place that can help deal with these issues and make the school safe for everybody," Pfeiffer said.

Pfeiffer and senior Leslie Spillman wanted to start the club at McKinley to promote tolerance and curb harassment.

Both said that the student protests and stands by School Board members against the club during the past few weeks have made them even more aware of the need for the club.

Warren had been reviewing their application since mid-February, shortly after the School Board rejected a new policy that would have guaranteed all clubs equal access to school campuses.

That left a decision on clubs up to individual principals, who were told to follow newly crafted school system rules and the federal Equal Access Act. That act requires that all clubs be treated equally.

Warren told her students nearly three weeks ago that she would allow the club if it agreed to follow the rules and the law.

That led to dozens of students protesting at the school two weeks ago. Thirty-six were suspended for three days for disrupting school.

A group of local ministers also held several news conferences to announce its opposition to the club and the suspensions.

School Board member Jay Devall has failed in his attempt to get the board to ban all extracurricular clubs as a way to block the Gay Straight Alliance from forming at any high school.

Devall could not be reached for comment Friday.

Warren released a statement through the school system's spokesperson.

"The Club's bylaws basically state that it will focus on respect, acceptance and tolerance of all people," Warren said. "As long as it sticks to these concepts, then I don't expect there to be any problems on campus."

Warren repeatedly referred to the Equal Access Act.

"Hopefully the community realizes that despite any personal or moral beliefs, the law is on the side of the Club," she said.

New school system rules for clubs require members to have permission from their parents to join.

Eighteen students have turned in permission slips for the Gay Straight Alliance at McKinley, Pfeiffer said. Williams said nine have submitted permission slips for the club at his school.

The rules were drafted after Warren turned down Pfeiffer's initial request to start a Gay Straight Alliance. He asked for club rules, but there were none.

That's also what led to the attempt to redraft the board's policy regarding clubs.

School Board President Roger Moser said Friday that he supports the existing policy, which encourages student participation in clubs and tells principals to follow the law.

"I'm proud of our principals, I'm proud of our school improvement teams and I'm proud of the concept that they know what's best for their schools," Moser said.

"We're going to abide by the laws, and I'm not inclined to shut down many, many clubs and shut down the activities of many, many kids based on the desire of a small group of kids to start up a new club," he said.

Baton Rouge Magnet High Principal J.B. Williams said Friday that a student at his school has also talked about applying to start a Gay Straight Alliance club.

Williams said he gave the student the rules and other information on clubs, but that she has not applied.

The principals at Tara and Lee high schools said Friday that they have not been approached by any students wanting to start such clubs at their schools, despite television reports that clubs are planned there.

Williams said the group at Scotlandville High has been meeting informally all year but that the students decided to form an official club when the issue went before the School Board.

"They have just as much right to meet as any other non-curriculum related club," like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he said. "I would not intend to deny them the right to meet."

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