St. George school board race targets gay-straight clubs

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ST. GEORGE • The existence of campus clubs for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender high school students has become an issue in the race for seats on the Washington County School District Board.

The Gay-Straight Alliance clubs were formed in March at four southern Utah high schools after pressure from Utah's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union forced the district to change its policies. Each school club has about between 15 and 20 members.

Two candidates challenging incumbent board members have said they want to eliminate or deteriorate the clubs, the Spectrum of St. George reports. They say the clubs don't reflect the community's conservative values.

The federal Equal Access Act requires schools with non-curriculum clubs to allow GSAs or face the loss of federal funding.