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Students urge Sartell-St. Stephen board to limit Turning Point USA chapter, citing safety concerns
Summary
Two students told the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board they fear a Turning Point USA-affiliated club at Sartell High School is harming LGBTQ and transgender students and asked the district to ban or heavily regulate the group. The board did not take formal action at the meeting.
Two students told the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board on Oct. 20 that a Turning Point USA-affiliated chapter at Sartell High School is creating fear and division for LGBTQ and transgender students and asked the district to ban or heavily regulate the club.
In public comment, Isaac (no last name given) said the chapter’s presence at the high school had “cost me great consternation” and described the national organization as founded by Charlie Kirk. Isaac said the club’s first meeting included statements the commenter interpreted as plans to target trans athletes, and urged the district to act to protect vulnerable students: “These children in our community must be scared… They will be targeted,” he said.
Melissa Ferro, a Sartell High School student, said political clubs in the school risk privileging particular ideological viewpoints and described classmates’ reactions. “Some of the things that members of our student body have said are, ‘I find this whole thing to be kind of scary. It genuinely makes me feel scared,’ ” Ferro said. She asked the district to protect a neutral, safe environment for a diverse student body, listing several student communities in the district: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic and LGBTQIA+.
The speakers framed their remarks as concerns about student safety, classroom climate and whether school-sanctioned groups should foster partisan political viewpoints. Isaac cited mental-health statistics during his remarks; those figures were presented as part of his testimony. Board members acknowledged the public comments but did not take further action on the club at the Oct. 20 meeting.
The comments came during the board’s public-comment period. No formal proposal to alter the club’s status or to open a policy review on student clubs was introduced during the meeting; board members said only that they appreciated the students speaking and then moved on to the consent agenda.
Community members seeking district follow-up on club recognition or student-safety policies can expect future board agendas and committee work to be listed on the district web page. The board did not announce any immediate investigation or policy change at the Oct. 20 meeting.
