Report: White
Co. gay-support club suit settled
by Ken Stanford,
AccessNorthGa.com from the Web, December 27, 2006
CLEVELAND -- The White County
school board and the ACLU reportedly have reach a tentative agreement to settle
a suit growing out of attempts to for a gay support club at White County High
School.
The White County News says, however, the case will not be officially settled,
according to both sides, until all parties sign the agreement.
The paper, quoting sources close to the matter, says the school board, through
its insurance company, has agreed to pay the ACLU $168,000 to cover court costs
and another $10,000 to the student plaintiffs.
White County must also set up an anti-bullying program at both the high school
and the ninth grade academy, according to the report.
A hearing in federal court in Gainesville in June heard from high school
graduate Kerry Pacer, president of PRIDE -- or Peers Rising In Diversity
Education -- who brought the suit. She testified students booed her when
she received a rose at a school gathering. She told the court she heard
announcements about other non-curricular clubs on the school P.A. system during
her senior year after PRIDE was banned from meeting on campus.
Principal Brian Dorsey testified he decided no non-curricular clubs would meet
on campus. But ACLU attorneys presented morning school bulletins as
evidence that those clubs did meet and those morning announcements were made on
the public address system.
Related Links:
White County News
ACLU
White County School System
(AccessNorthGa.com's
Jerry Gunn contributed to this story.)
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