Gonzalez v. School Board of Okeechobee County
What's at Stake
Florida high school gay-straight alliance
Summary
Yasmin Gonzalez (left) and Amber Sewell (right), students at Okeechobee High
Photo courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel.
The 老澳门开奖结果 is suing Okeechobee High School after school officials violated the Equal Access Act and denied students the right to form a gay-straight alliance.
When students at Okeechobee High School in Okeechobee, Florida wanted to form a gay-straight alliance (GSA), the school denied their request, saying it did not allow 鈥渘on-curricular鈥 clubs to meet. But the school did allow non-curricular clubs, such as the Key Club, Future Farmers of America and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, to meet on school grounds. Feeling the school was discriminating against the club, GSA president Yasmin Gonzalez contacted the 老澳门开奖结果, which filed suit against the Okeechobee County school board. The suit accused the school of violating the federal Equal Access Act, which requires schools to provide space for all non-curricular clubs if they are going to provide space for any non-curricular club.
Attorneys for the school board claimed that the club was denied access because it is a 鈥渟ex-based鈥 club, and that allowing it to meet would be disruptive and harmful to children at the school. The school also claimed that allowing a 鈥渟ex-based鈥 club to meet would violate the school鈥檚 abstinence-only education policy. The court disagreed, and entered a preliminary injunction ordering the school board to grant access to the GSA on equal terms with all other clubs. The judge, in a first of its kind decision, ruled that a GSA is not, by definition, a 鈥渟ex-based club鈥 and that it does nothing to interfere with the district鈥檚 abstinence education policy.
Status: VICTORY! Judge rules that school officials must let the GSA meet on campus and holds that schools must provide for the well-being of gay students.
Legal Documents
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12/29/2006
Gonzalez v. School Board of Okeechobee County - First Amended Complaint
Date Filed: 12/29/2006
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07/29/2008
Gonzalez v. School Board of Okeechobee County - Order Granting Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment; Denying Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment
Date Filed: 07/29/2008
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05/19/2008
Gonzalez v. School Board of Okeechobee County - Order Granting Plaintiffs' Motion to Alter Judgment
Date Filed: 05/19/2008
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02/12/2007
Gonzalez v. School Board of Okeechobee County - Plaintiff's Reply Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction
Date Filed: 02/12/2007
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01/11/2007
Gonzalez v. School Board of Okeechobee County - Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction
Date Filed: 01/11/2007
Press Releases
Okeechobee, FL High School Gay-Straight Alliance Wins Groundbreaking Federal Lawsuit
Federal Judge Rules Okeechobee, FL Students Can Form Gay-Straight Alliance Club
Judge Rejects Okeechobee School Board鈥檚 Attempt to Block Gay-Straight Alliance Anti-Discrimination Lawsuit
Gay-Straight Alliance Seeks Injunction to Gain Equal Access at Okeechobee, Florida High School
老澳门开奖结果 Sues to Enforce Equal Access for Gay-Straight Alliance at Okeechobee High School