IRVING, Texas — The now-removed LGBTQ “safe space” stickers that prompted a student walkout at a North Texas high school will remain gone for now.
Harbin said despite never really hearing any hate for the stickers prior to that day, she was surprised when they were gone. Since then, Harbin and several of her classmates say the issue has gone fairly quiet, despite their quest for answers and a resolution on the matter. District officials confirm that the high school’s principal and a district representative met with GSA members to discuss the removal of the stickers, but members of the group said they felt their concerns fell on deaf ears.
But, Dennis Eichelbaum, the attorney for Irving ISD, told the board that the removal of the stickers was in line with district policy. “While educators have the right to express their personal viewpoints on their personal time, Irving ISD policy EMB-local states that teachers shall not use the classroom to transmit personal beliefs regarding political or sectarian issues. Legislators and courts have consistently sided with school districts and upheld district protocols that require neutral expression in classrooms.”