After a months-long battle, a sixth grader at an online-only Wisconsin school has finally been allowed to form an LGBTQ+ club, traditionally known as a Gay-Straight Alliance.
The club has been requested by students and teachers since at least September 2019.
Since the end of this school year’s first quarter, Wren Prahl, who uses they/them pronouns, wanted to form an alliance at iForward, a virtual-only public charter school based in northwest Wisconsin.
“The school didn’t already have one and I wanted to meet more people,” Wren said about their motivation for forming a Gay Student Allliance.
When Wren emailed their principal, Constance Quade, in December, they were initially told that the club would be considered for next semester before being told that they could not form the club because it was non-academic and student-initiated.
In January, Wren asked a school staff member to inform students that they could email them if they were interested in joining the unofficial “Rainbow Club.” Quade emailed Wren informing them that they could not advertise non-school-sponsored activities. Quade suspended Wren for one-school day in February.
More:ACLU joins sixth grader in battle to form LGBTQ+ Club at Wisconsin online-only school
Following the sixth grader’s suspension, Wren’s mother, with the help of a school teacher, contacted with the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin.
The ACLU filed an administrative complaint with Grantsburg School District, iForward’s home school district, in March.
Elisabeth Lambert, the ACLU attorney on the case, said that the complaint alleged that iForward discriminated against Wren and violated the federal Equal Access Act, which states that if a school allows for the formation of any non-academic student group, then it must provide equal access to these groups regardless of subject matter, including sexual orientation and gender.
In practice, common extracurriculars such as chess club and student government associations have been deemed non-academic under the Equal Access Act. Lambert said that the act applied to the school because several clubs did not have an “academic tie-in.” According to the school’s website, iForward offers clubs in non-academic areas such as chess, Esports, and Dungeons and Dragons.
Lambert added that each school district in the state has its own policies for responding to complaints. Grantsburg School District policy requires a meeting between administrators and the organization filing the complaint before other action is taken.
Lambert said that the school district investigated Wren’s case and relevant law before the meeting, coming to the conclusion that it was appropriate to allow for the formation of the GSA. According to a press release from the ACLU of Wisconsin, iForward agreed to allow Wren to form the GSA, expunge the suspension off their record, and provide staff training to “help promote a safe, nondiscriminatory environment for LGBTQ students at the school.”
Grantsburg School District Superintendent Joshua Watt told the Journal Sentinel that “per the advice of the district’s legal counsel, we cannot provide additional information on this issue.”
Lambert thanked Wren for their bravery and their teachers for putting them in contact with the ACLU. Brianna thanked Lambert and the ACLU for their support in standing with Wren.
Wren said that they plan to form the GSA next year.
