Lawyer: Allentown High School Must Allow Pro-Life Group

Philadelphia (CBS) - Jocelyn Floyd, an attorney with the Thomas More Society and who is representing two students from Parkland High School in Allentown who have been denied the right to start a pro-life club, told The Rich Zeoli Show on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT that by refusing to allow these students to organize the club of their choice, the school is clear violation of the law.

"We have two students who want to start a pro-life club and the school has refused to allow them to have the club with the same rights and privileges of every other club. This is an illegal denial of the club based on the message of the club that violates both federal statutes and the First Amendment."

Floyd said there are no justifiable grounds for the school to deny them the same opportunity they offer other students.

"The denial here is something that is illegal. The law says, both under the First Amendment and under the Equal Access Act, which is a federal statute protecting students rights to form groups on campus, both of those say that where the school has opened up a forum for students to create clubs, they have to allow all of them on an equal basis. They can't reject them based on their message, even if that message is political, philosophical, religious. They're not allowed to make a judgement call as to whether that speech is worthwhile or important. The determination is the student has chosen to speak and the school must let them speak the same as any other club."