Students: Principal Nixed Gay Tolerance Club

The purpose of a Gay-Straight Alliance club at a school is to create a welcoming environment and promote tolerance. But some students seeking to establish such a group at Valley Stream South High School said they ran into objections from the school principal. They were joined by about 100 students at a protest Thursday, even as the Valley Stream Central High School District declared it had already approved the club...Samantha Fredrickson, of the Nassau Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said her organization supports the students because they are protected by First Amendment rights and federal law guaranteeing "equal access" to extracurricular activities.