B.N.S. v. School Board of Lake County, Florida

We filed a lawsuit in May 2013 on behalf of an eighth-grade student at Carver Middle School in Leesburg who sought to form a Gay-Straight Alliance at her school. GSAs are student groups that seek to combat bullying against all students, including LGBT students. We filed a demand letter on the student’s behalf, which triggered months of School Board discussion about whether and how to amend their student clubs policy. When it became clear that the School Board simply wasn’t interested in doing the right thing, we sued them, and they settled within a day. The GSA was able to meet for the rest of the school year. The School Board’s refusal to recognize the club the following school year prompted a second lawsuit, which is ongoing.

Legal Documents

Complaint with Declaratory and Injunctive Relief Sought ( 05/01/13)

Final Order (5/30/13)