Ventura High School principal Val Wyatt noted as part of her opposition to Chick-fil-A that, "With their political stance on gay rights and because the students of Ventura High School and their parents would be at the event, I didn't want them on campus."
PJI staff attorney, Matthew McReynolds, sent a letter to the principal yesterday informing her of the legal obligations a school has to not discriminate. Citing the California Unruh Civil Rights Act, McReynolds noted that strict adherence is required not just by businesses, but by schools too. The letter further noted the free speech rights of corporations, as well as the religious freedom rights of their executives.
Alluding to the irony of banning an organization with supposed diverse views from a school event, one person insightfully commented on PJI's Facebook page, "So they are going to kick out all the conservative students as well?"
PJI has reached out to members of the booster club offering free legal representation. PJI hopes to ensure that tolerance at the school returns to a two-way and not a one-way road.
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www.pji.org