Schools prohibit anti-hate banners

[ccharles000]

CHEYENNE - School board members in Wheatland rejected a request this week to put back up banners for an anti-hate campaign at several of their schools.

The reason: They were sponsored by a gay and lesbian organization.

One Wyoming attorney says the action may be unconstitutional.

Platte County School District 1 trustees voted 4-3 to keep the Anti-Defamation League's "No Place for Hate" banners down at Wheatland High and West Elementary.

The schools were two of 25 in Colorado and Wyoming taking part in the program.

One of the sponsors listed on the banner is the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado. Wheatland board members and parents took issue with that, according to the district.

The others sponsors are Qwest and the David & Laura Merage Foundation.

http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2010/01/22/local_news_updates/19local_01-22-10.txt

[Tesha]

1. As long as they reject all banners of a given "class", they can probably do this.

That is, if they always reject all banners from (say) "outside
organizations", that's probably perfectly legal.

But if they accept a "Jaysus loves you!" banner from the
First Church of Billy Bob but reject the anti-hate banner,
well then they'll be in big trouble.

Tesha