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Heritage High parent warns board about treatment of Turning Point USA club; principal says rules applied to protect club
Summary
A Heritage High parent told the Catoosa County Board of Education the school singled out a Turning Point USA club and risked violating the federal Equal Access Act; Principal Phillips and sponsors defended enforcement of mission, sponsor and parental-permission rules and said they support the club's existence.
Ruth Fant, a District 2 resident, urged the Catoosa County Board of Education on Nov. 4 to ensure Heritage High School’s Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter is treated "fairly, appropriately and justly," saying students and parents told her the principal was singling out the club and imposing paperwork not required of other student groups.
"I would like to remind you of the Equal Access Act," Fant said during public comment, arguing that federally funded public secondary schools may not discriminate against student-initiated clubs on the basis of religious or political content.
Superintendent Nicks and Principal Phillips responded after the comment period. Phillips said the district requires every new student organization to submit a mission and vision, identify meeting times and secure a faculty sponsor, and that written parental permission forms are required by district policy and Georgia law. He said those measures are intended to protect the club’s ability to exist and to ensure adult supervision and accountability.
"I was asked about a debate and dialogue day. My homework assignment for them was to tell me what a debate and dialogue day is," Phillips said, adding that he does not authorize unsupervised or random debates and that the same standards apply to other clubs. He recounted steps taken after interest meetings, including requiring mission and vision statements, working with sponsors, and addressing incidents in which club signs were removed by other students.
Club sponsors and faculty supporters told the board they had found Phillips to be "very, supportive" and said he had taken steps to address student concerns and safeguard the club. Superintendent Nicks characterized some of the public comments as containing "many inaccuracies" and requested the sponsors be allowed to respond.
Board members and staff clarified during discussion that the district enforces written parental permission for student clubs and that such a requirement is consistent with state law and district policy. No board vote or formal disciplinary action related to the club was recorded in the meeting transcript.
The matter was raised as public comment and was discussed by school leaders; the board did not take a separate, recorded action on club policies during the meeting. Future steps noted by district staff included continued communication between student leaders and faculty sponsors and the district’s commitment to apply policy consistently across schools.
