News
2006-06-08
Gay club wins
recognition at Chicago charter school
The Noble Street
GSA will finally be guaranteed a place on the campus of
Noble Street Charter School in Chicago.
The Noble Street
Gay Straight Alliance will finally be guaranteed a place
on the campus of Noble Street Charter School in Chicago,
according to a settlement agreement reached in in
federal court on Wednesday. The settlement ends
a lawsuit brought by Lambda Legal seeking equal
treatment for the school club.
"Now the students
participating in the GSA will be able to fulfill their
mission of having a club to promote awareness, safety,
respect, and tolerance of all sexual orientations in a
nonjudgmental environment," said James Madigan, staff
attorney in Lambda Legal's Midwest regional office in
Chicago.
Under the
agreement, the GSA will be able to advertise its meetings
across campus, have access to classrooms in the high school
for meetings and events, and be included in the high
school yearbook.
"This agreement
now clearly establishes policies for all
noncurriculum-based student groups at Noble Street
campuses," said Michael Milkie, school superintendent.
"Noble Street Charter School places great importance
on providing a safe and inclusive environment for all
of our students."
Lambda Legal
filed the lawsuit on behalf of the GSA's founding students,
Jorge Mena and Heather Hall, in federal court on April 18 to
assert the students' rights under the First Amendment
and the Equal Access Act, which states that secondary
schools that receive federal funds and allow
noncurricular student groups to meet on campus are
prohibited from discriminating against any group based
on its viewpoint. The GSA had been meeting
unofficially and unadvertised at the school over the course
of the school year. (The Advocate)
Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter.
Page 1 of 1