Lawyers representing Angelique Clark, a sophomore at West Career and Technical Academy, are demanding that the Clark County (Nevada) School District approve her request to form a local chapter of Students For Life America. School Vice Principal Allan Yee said the club would reflect poorly on the school in local media and that students are unqualified to speak on abortion issues.
UPDATE 10/17/15: Kentucky School Censors Pro-life Students, Lawsuit Claims
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
North Dakota Schools Backtrack on Pro-life Club Bans
Iowa School Censors Pro-life Girl's Rights, Lawyer Says
Connecticut School Censors 'Controversial' Pro-life Kids
Virginia School Slow-walks Pro-life Club Approval
New Jersey School Censors Student Expressing Pro-life View
Washington School OKs Gay Message, but Censors Pro-life Students
Also read North Las Vegas Teacher Bans Student's Christianity
-- From "Sophomore Says High School Denied her Anti-abortion Club" by Kimberly Pierceall, Associated Press 5/22/15
The nonprofit Thomas More Society legal group said in a letter . . . [that] Clark applied to start a Students for Life club on campus but was told by the vice principal that the topic was controversial, would attract negative media attention and the club's intent wasn't inclusive enough.
The Thomas More Society said in its letter that the school has a Bible club and gay-straight alliance club on campus.
The Clark County School District said in a statement it's reviewing the facts and hadn't made a final decision.
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From "Law firm claims West Tech sophomore denied right to start pro-life club" by Ricardo Torres, Las Vegas Review-Journal 5/22/15
Clark said in a news release she didn’t hear back from school officials until two months later when a vice principal said her application had been denied.
Vice Principal Allan Yee told her the topic was “controversial,” pro-choice supporters would feel left out and “there were others ‘more qualified’ to speak on the issue than a high school sophomore.”
The demand letter was addressed to high school Principal Amy Dockter-Rozar and Clark County School District Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky. It alleges Clark’s First Amendment rights and the federal Equal Access Act of 1984, which affects extracurricular clubs, were violated.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "CCSD, group differ about whether student had support of adviser for anti-abortion club" by Ian Whitaker, Las Vegas Sun 5/22/15
After lawyers demanded Thursday that West Career and Technical Academy reverse its decision to prevent sophomore Angelique Clark from starting an anti-abortion student club, district officials released a statement saying the club did not have a faculty adviser willing to sponsor the club. In CCSD schools, student clubs need a teacher to serve as an adviser before they are allowed to operate.
A document released by Students for Life of America, the national group that has taken up Clark's cause, appears to show Angelique had a teacher on board. Signatures on her application form dated Dec. 17, 2014, show that science teacher Sandy Roden had volunteered to be the adviser.
The letter written by lawyers from the nonprofit Thomas More Society gave the district until June 1 to respond. The lawyers haven't said whether they will pursue legal action if the district does not reverse the school's decision.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
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