‘Turning Point USA’ school club discussion prompts Bay District Schools policy review
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)- Charlie Kirk was the cofounder of ‘Turning Point USA,’ an organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school and college campuses.
During Tuesday’s Bay County School Board meeting, board members heard from a group that’s pushing to bring Turning Point USA chapters to Bay District High Schools.
Several ‘Moms of Liberty,’ group members have demanded answers from Bay District School board members as to why some high school administrators told them the deadline to start the club had already passed.
Moms of Liberty representatives pleaded with board members to implement what they called a “grassroots conservative organization” their children want to be a part of.
“September 10th changed the trajectory of this country. And these kids want this and they are begging for it. This is about coming together, and letting people know what their beliefs are and getting out in the community. I think that if there was any time for a waiver or any conversation to have this, whatever we can do to let this happen, it needs to happen,” Moms of Liberty Chair April Gibson said.
School officials told the group that if the same deadline was applied to all of a school’s clubs, it was a fair decision.
“As long as they’re applying, even their school site-specific policy or procedure that they might follow, as long as they’re applying it in a nondiscriminatory manner. If they’re applying that same rule to no matter who came in and asked to open a club today,” said BDS staff member Ms. Hudson.
School district officials say timelines and policies are at the heart of this issue. And after Tuesday’s board meeting, they plan on revisiting those policies.
“Is there any policy or procedure at either the district level or at the school. That says deadlines, that says dates, that says anything that was referred to? Just for clarity?” School Board Member Chris Moore asked his fellow members of the board.
“A lot of it will have to do with the superintendent and his staff looking back at the policies and making sure it’s very clear what that timeline is. I think if this particular club, the ‘Turning Point USA’, had wanted to open a chapter in the school year, I think it’d been a no-brainer, not only that club but really any club. But here we are a month, maybe month and a half into school, and so that’s the timeline,” School Board Chair Steve Moss said.