Elmhurst District 205 Superintendent David Moyer said new guidelines are being prepared for how York High School clubs submit announcements to be broadcast over the PA system.
The action follows a December meeting where members of the school’s gay-straight alliance complained their morning announcements, submitted as the AS.IS club, had been pulled.
“I was not at all happy with having to feel that the students … interpreted the situation the way they did,” Moyer told the School Board Tuesday.
The announcements were set to run during a regularly scheduled four-minute period near the start of the school day in October, but were pulled following what Moyer described as two complaints from a parent.
Moyer said when first contacted by a parent Oct. 15 with concerns about the announcements during LGBT History Month, he listened to the complaint but did not agree with it. Between Oct. 8 and Oct. 20, six more announcements were made and the parent contacted Moyer again. At that point, he called York Principal Diana Smith and asked her to stop the announcements.
Club members told the board in December the announcements that were pulled recognized significant accomplishments by and for LGBT people.
Moyers said some of the announcements were “more provocative and less informational” and content may have been “pushing the envelope.”
Moyer said he has met with the club’s advisers and learned they review the announcements and submit them to the assistant principal, but there are no formal guidelines. Guidelines are now being developed and when they are completed, AS.IS will proceed with announcements as planned, assuming they align with guidelines.
Moyer said he has already met with AS.IS sponsors and club president but will attend a meeting of the whole club soon. He said he was troubled that AS.IS members perceived that they were not as important as other clubs.
According to the York High School web site, AS.IS, which has been in existence for 15 years, stands for Accepting Sexual Orientation In School. This gay-straight alliance works to reduce homophobic behavior, combat bigotry, and build tolerance and respect among the York community.
Some board members still seemed baffled as to what caused the announcements to be pulled in the first place. Board member John McDonough said he had heard a lot about procedure.
“What we want to know is what was substantively wrong with the announcements that they needed to be stopped?” McDonough said. “This has been a big crisis of confidence and trust.”
Moyer said he did not have the new criteria with him but that “judgment is involved.”
“We are clarifying expectations. Now there will be a consistent expectations for everyone,” he said.
Board member Emily Bastedo said the outcry in December was a difficult moment for the board.
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“It was hard to hear,” she said, and asked Moyer if the meetings with the advisers and AS.IS president were hard for him. Moyer said no.
“I have stated that I support a culture of tolerance that respects diversity and each individual equally,” he said.
Carol Morency is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.