Following months of frustration and delays, 8th grader sued school board on May 1st over denial of safe schools club; order finalizes victory, allows club to meet
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 30, 2013
CONTACT: ACLU of Florida Media Office, media@aclufl.org, (786) 363-2737
OCALA - Today, U.S. District Judge Anne Conway issued a final order in the case of 14-year-old Bayli Silberstein of Leesburg, Florida who brought a lawsuit against the School Board of Lake County, Florida for repeatedly thwarting her efforts to establish a gay-straight alliance (GSA) at Carver Middle School. The final order reinforces a consent decree entered by the parties in the case on the day after the lawsuit was filed that allows the club to meet and awards Bayli one dollar in nominal damages. Bayli was represented in the case by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida.
“I am really happy that we were finally able to meet and that this is finally over,” stated Silberstein, an 8th grader at the school. “My friends and I didn’t want to have the school year end without being able to do something to make school safer. I’m really grateful for all the support I’ve gotten and hope this helps other kids see that what we’re doing is something worth fighting for.”
GSAs are student organizations made up of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students and their straight allies that advocate for an end to bullying, harassment, and discrimination against all students. As a result of the lawsuit, the Carver Middle School GSA has been able to meet regularly throughout the final weeks of the school year.
“We are very happy for Bayli and her family that this lawsuit has come to a close,” stated Daniel Tilley, staff attorney for the ACLU of Florida. “Although it should have happened more than a year ago, we are pleased that the School District has acknowledged its obligation under clearly established federal law to allow the GSA to meet. Because of the GSA, Carver Middle School will become a safer and more welcoming place for all students. Although the School Board is continuing its intensified scrutiny of club policy due to the GSA, we look forward to ensuring that the Carver Middle School GSA will remain an official student club during the next school year and the years after that.”
More information about the case and the May 2nd consent decree is available here: http://aclufl.org/?p=3405
A copy of the final order entered today is available here: http://aclufl.org/resources/final-order-in-silberstein-v-lake-county-school-board/
