School Board Sex Club Policy

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School Board Drafts Policy Banning Sex Clubs

Special Report - April 18, 2006

The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education is under fire from homosexual advocacy groups over its unanimous decision on April 10 to draft a policy banning all sexually oriented clubs from schools in the district. According to The Charlotte Observer, the board voted 7-0 in favor of a policy to “ban all sexually oriented clubs, gay, straight or otherwise, and to address any student emotional issues concerning the above with our guidance counselors.” The controversy began with efforts by some students at South Rowan High School in China Grove to form a club known as a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). GSAs are student-led clubs that provide support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and “questioning” students, and serve as political vehicles for homosexual activists to gain access to students. School officials at South Rowan initially denied the students’ request to form the GSA but later allowed the club to form earlier this year.

The county board of education first addressed the GSA issue in March. According to minutes from the March 27 session, a motion to ban the club from meeting on school property was proposed by board member Jim Shuping, but it failed to pass. However, the board revisited the issue at its April meeting when it voted 7-0 in favor of drafting a policy (which is scheduled for a final vote at a later meeting) that would ban all sexually oriented student clubs. Mr. Shuping, who proposed the policy, told The Charlotte Observer, “Sex-oriented clubs have no place in our school system, gay or straight. They are disrespectful and disruptive to our educational process. …We need to take a step back from this and take control of our schools.” Members of the banned GSA club have pledged to challenge the ban if it passes. The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education could vote on whether to adopt the draft policy at either its April 24 work session or at its May 8 meeting.