ACLU Asks Gwinnett Schools to Unblock Gay Websites

By Martha Dalton

Atlanta – Some Gwinnett County students have complained to the American Civil Liberties Union that the school system blocks access to gay and lesbian websites. Now, the ACLU has written a letter to the Gwinnett County Schools asking them to "unblock" the sites. WABE's Martha Dalton has more.

The ACLU of Georgia says the Gwinnett Schools recently installed software that automatically blocks sites with gay and lesbian content. Legal Director Chara Fisher Jackson says the blocked content is neither explicit nor inappropriate, but
"Basic information that any student may need about their rights, about gay/straight alliances and clubs, about resources to see if they're being bullied and what they should do."
In a written statement, The Gwinnett County Public Schools said that they're "looking into concerns raised" by the letter. The school district says it filters Internet content to comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act. Again Chara Fisher Jackson:
"Our arguments under the constitutional mandates would not require them to violate any other laws, but simply to not violate constitutional principles of the First Amendment and the Equal Access Act."
Jackson says she hopes the school system will allow access to the sites to prevent further legal action.