Former Lakeland Mayor Wyatt Bunker addresses the Lakeland School Board on Dec. 6. (Screenshot from YouTube)
The creation of a Gay Straight Alliance at a middle school in a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, sparked a heated debate at a local school board meeting last week.
Lakeland Middle Preparatory School’s pro-LGBTQ club will begin when students return from winter break Jan. 3. Local news outlet Lakeland Currents reported that the school sent out an email to parents promoting the new club that said, “Join The G.S.A!”
Though the club is meant to provide a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQ students, some parents fiercely opposed the club at a Lakeland School Board meeting on Dec. 6.
Chad and Heather Reynolds, who have an 8-year-old and 13-year-old in the school system, told the board that they want their sons to be educated, not “indoctrinated.”
The two were particularly concerned about social media posts by the GSA’s main sponsor, Lakeland drama teacher Mandy Christopher.
“It’s all over her social media accounts,” Chad Reynolds said. “She has an agenda to infiltrate our school system with her beliefs.”
The Los Angeles Blade reviewed Christopher’s Facebook page and found no content related to the GSA.
Another parent, Matt Thi, said he would remove his three children from the school system if they continued to support the GSA. “Where do we draw the line?” he asked the board.
Former Lakeland Mayor Wyatt Bunker also spoke at the meeting, saying, “Is this the school system that we fought for? [A school system] that now clearly doesn’t align with our values.”
Bunker added: “At this point, we have to take a stand.”
At the end of the public comment section, the board explained to concerned parents that they could not intervene, fearing potential litigation if they did.
“Policy for the school says they will not deny any club based on that club’s belief,” said Eric Plumlee, the Lakeland School Board attorney, adding that “policy did not just come out of thin air. If you are going to allow some of them, you have to allow all of them.”
You can watch the live stream of the full school board meeting on the LSS Board of Education’s YouTube channel.
