The Gretna High School administration and their lawyers have demoted almost all student clubs in order to grant equal access and uphold free speech rights of pro-life students. This decision was delivered after the Omaha, Nebraska-area school received a demand letter from the Thomas More Society. The letter charged the high school with unconstitutional discrimination of students, after junior Bridget Christensen was denied her right to form a school-sponsored Students for Life club. Christensen had been thwarted in her attempt to start the student-led pro-life club by school administrators who told her the club was too “religious” and also “controversial,” both of which were illegal reasons to deny the group.

Gretna High School representatives responded to the demand letter with the revised policy, which offers equal treatment to all student clubs, but simultaneously prohibits all those student clubs from meeting during “long homeroom” as they had consistently been permitted to do.

“We are pleased that Gretna Public Schools has improved their policy and acknowledged that all student clubs, regardless of their political, religious, or philosophical message, deserve fair, even-handed treatment by the school administration,” stated Thomas More Society Special Counsel Jocelyn Floyd, who serves as lead counsel for Students for Life of America’s high school clubs.

“But it is sad that the school has chosen to change their policy by demoting nearly all other clubs, rather than allow Students for Life the same access rights of the other clubs. By revoking the privileges of other clubs that previously only the Students for Life club had been denied, they have levelled the field – but to the detriment of the entire student body,” Floyd added.

Floyd also said:

“We are concerned about the high percentage of club activities and access that remain subject to administrative approval, without any guidelines to ensure that the administration isn’t unjustly influenced by concerns over ‘controversy’ or ‘separation of church and state.’ We hope that Gretna High School remains dedicated to equality and fairness as it applies the new policy going forward.”

Christensen, the student whose attempts to start the club were stalled by the school, remarked:

“This decision to create a policy that prevents clubs from meeting during school hours is not what we had hoped for. However, we are ready to move forward and work together to promote the value of human life and inspire our fellow students in this relevant issue.”

Read demand letter to school here.