Law firm claims West Tech sophomore denied right to start pro-life club
A national pro-life group and a nonprofit law firm allege West Career and Technical Academy administrators discriminated against a high school student who tried to start an anti-abortion club.
Students For Life America and the law firm Thomas More Society sent a letter to the high school principal and the Clark County School District “demanding” that they approve a Students For Life America chapter that sophomore Angelique Clark tried to start in December.
Clark said in a news release she didn’t hear back from school officials until two months later when a vice principal said her application had been denied.
Vice Principal Allan Yee told her the topic was “controversial,” pro-choice supporters would feel left out and “there were others ‘more qualified’ to speak on the issue than a high school sophomore.”
The demand letter was addressed to high school Principal Amy Dockter-Rozar and Clark County School District Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky. It alleges Clark’s First Amendment rights and the federal Equal Access Act of 1984, which affects extracurricular clubs, were violated.
District policy permits students groups to meet outside of class time, provided they have a faculty adviser.
“This club currently does not have a faculty member who would commit to sponsoring the club,” the district said in a statement sent late Thursday.
Review-Journal Staff Writer Neal Morton contributed to this report.
