SUSSEX — District leaders chose not to address the Turning Point USA club situation during Monday night’s Sussex Hamilton School Board meeting, with only the club’s president speaking about the matter.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Second Sussex Hamilton parent comes forward after Turning Point club controversy
“I just wanted to come up here and say thank you to the administration and my principal for taking time to listen, support students, and guide us through the process of creating a club,” Lucy, the club’s president, said.
The meeting marked the first school board gathering since confusion erupted over a political club at Hamilton High School.
District officials told reporters they would not take questions about the situation or discuss it publicly.
The situation began in October, when students at Hamilton High School wanted to start “Club America,” a group powered by Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA organization.
The student council voted unanimously against the club; however, Principal Dominic Bauer later overturned the council’s decision without informing students until later.
Multiple students at Sussex Hamilton High School received a one-day suspension for taking down the club’s posters. Parents said their students didn’t think the club existed and felt the punishment went too far.
Watch: Sussex Hamilton board declines to discuss Turning Point club situation at meeting
“We were out of compliance with the law. So, this is, to my knowledge, the first club that has ever been voted down in the history of Hamilton, which is why it’s never come up before,” Bauer said in an interview with TMJ4 News on Nov. 20.
He referenced the Equal Access Act of 1984, which states that schools “may not deny comparable access to any other student group because of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at the group’s meetings.”
After discovering that law, Bauer said he also decided the student council would no longer vote on new clubs.
He also admitted that communication with students could have been more cohesive.
Here’s the district’s full statement:
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
