The ACLU of Georgia claims the White County school system violated the federal Equal Access Act when it banned all non-curricular school clubs last year, and filed a federal lawsuit against the school district on Monday.

The suit alleges the White County school system violated the federal
Equal Access Act that guarantees when a school allows any non-curricular student group to form, it must then allow all such groups and must treat the groups equally, explained ACLU staff attorney Beth Littrell.

Peers Rising In Diverse Education (PRIDE), the gay-straight alliance, was founded at White County High School by Kerry Pacer and Hammersen. Its members have also endured physical harassment, verbal abuse and vandalism, according to the ACLU.

According to the suit, the school district violated the civil rights of Kerry Pacer by suspending her for wearing an “I love lesbians” T-shirt to school and by also not allowing Hammersen to carry a rainbow flag onto campus or a sign that said “Hate is not a Christian value.”

The suit also alleges that while PRIDE has not been allowed to meet this year on campus, the school has allowed several other non-curricular groups to continue meeting on campus. With this knowledge, the ACLU also filed a motion seeking a preliminary injunction asking the court to halt the ban on PRIDE meeting on campus, Littrell said.

Previous posts on student clubs in Georgia schools can be found here and here.

In response to the lawsuit, White County School Superintendent Paul Shaw said “clubs allowed at the County’s High School are legal and tied in some way to the school’s curriculum or athletics.”